Chapter 353: Seeking the Ancient in the Canon Vault

The quiet chamber was silent, chaos like mist.

Wang Ping sat cross-legged on the warm jade cushion, before him floating in the void was that message talisman obtained from Yun Hao, neither gold nor jade, its surface flowing with obscure chaos patterns. Since the last attempt to activate it nearly a month ago, the talisman had only warmed slightly before falling silent, unable to penetrate the two-world barrier.

Now, his cultivation was thoroughly stabilized, his mastery of chaos immortal essence and the building wood seed had advanced further, so he decided to try again.

He was not acting rashly. Gazing calmly at the message talisman, his divine sense first meticulously swept over every pattern on the talisman body, sensing within it the weak chaos space imprint sharing the same origin as the immortal palace fragments. The method of refining this talisman clearly came from the hands of the Guardian Ruins remnant tribe, its core lying in utilizing the shared chaos aura of the two places and specific spatial coordinates to generate resonance, achieving limited information transmission over ultra-long distances. The difficulty lay in the immortal palace fragments drifting outside the spirit realm, their spatial position fluctuating and being contaminated by "disorder" and wrapped in the chaotic energy left after the great battle, making the signal extremely hard to stabilize and capture.

"Though the immortal essence injected last time was pure, perhaps it lacked some 'key'." Wang Ping realized in his heart. He raised his hands empty, placing them on either side of the message talisman, and did not immediately activate it.

First, he mobilized the chaos infant in his dantian. The chaos infant's eyes opened, its small hands forming seals, a stream of chaos immortal essence far more condensed and weighty than before, and bearing a clear Dao rhythm of "suppress" and "contain", slowly welled up from the palms of Wang Ping's hands. This immortal essence was not a violent infusion, but transformed into two fine yet tenacious gray streams of qi, like spiritual snakes, gently winding around the floating message talisman along a specific spiral trajectory, and seeping in bit by bit along the talisman's natural chaos patterns.

The message talisman trembled slightly, the chaos patterns on its surface beginning to glow faintly, a bit brighter than last time, but still appearing weak, the light flickering uncertainly, as if it might go out at any moment.

Wang Ping's expression remained unchanged, knowing the crucial step had come. He sank his mind deep into his dantian, communicating with the building wood seed rooted in the palm of his chaos infant, lush and dripping, emitting vigorous vitality and a stable space Dao rhythm. The building wood seed seemed to sense his intention, gently swaying, from those two tender leaves oozing two strands of almost imperceptible yet extremely high-quality pale blue light threads. These light threads contained the purest innate Dao rhythm of space stabilization and myriad-world communication.

Wang Ping carefully drew out these two strands of building wood Dao rhythm, mixing them into the chaos immortal essence being input into the message talisman.

At the instant the building wood Dao rhythm touched the message talisman—

"Om!"

The message talisman jolted violently, emitting no longer a faint light but a fist-sized halo of chaos-colored light! Within the halo, countless tiny silver runes darted like live fish, rapidly swimming, colliding, combining, attempting to construct a fragile yet precious "channel" across the endless void. The talisman itself became scorching hot, the surrounding air slightly distorting, emitting a low hum as if space were being slightly stretched.

Wang Ping dared not relax, continuously and steadily outputting the chaos immortal essence mixed with building wood Dao rhythm, maintaining the talisman's activated state. His divine sense was highly focused, as if he had become the most sensitive string, finely perceiving every fluctuation of the "channel" struggling to extend within the talisman.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…… time seemed to stretch. The halo glowed steadily, but no information feedback came. Beads of fine sweat appeared on Wang Ping's forehead; maintaining this precise energy output and spatial perception consumed his mind greatly.

Seven breaths, eight breaths…… just as Wang Ping felt his output beginning to strain, and the halo began to flicker slightly—

"Zi…… sha……"

A wave of extremely weak sound, as if coming through thick frosted glass, carrying obvious noise and interruption, suddenly burst from the halo of the message talisman!

Immediately followed, a voice, though weary and hoarse, yet shocking Wang Ping's heart, broke through intermittently, each word seeming to have pierced through endless storms before arriving:

"……is……Wang Ping……fellow Daoist? Yun Hao……is here……"

Success!

Wang Ping's spirit lifted, he immediately stabilized his immortal essence output, while sending a thread of clear divine sense along with the immortal essence: "Yun Hao commander, it is me, Wang Ping! All is well in the spirit realm, how are you over there?"

After a brief delay and noise, Yun Hao's voice came again, somewhat clearer than before, but still revealing deep fatigue and tension: "……received……very good……outer immortal palace……repair progress……still acceptable……core seal……stable……but vigilance……dare not have the slightest……relaxation……"

Though the words were brief, the information was clear. Under the efforts of the remnants, the immortal palace fragments were gradually restoring order, the core seal also safe and sound, but the remnants, having experienced the betrayal of the Reverse Element Hall and the impact of "disorder", were like frightened birds, daring not to relax their vigilance in the slightest. This fatigue was a true portrayal of exhausted body and mind.

Wang Ping was about to ask again when the halo of the message talisman suddenly underwent a violent fluctuation, another more active yet equally unstable thought flow, brimming with lively emotion, forcibly "squeezed" in, intertwining with Yun Hao's transmission:

"Wang Ping! Wang Ping! It is Jiu Er! Can you hear me? Qing Ya is wonderful! The first leaf……look! It has turned into star-like patterns! The second leaf has also come out! And and and……"

The thought flow mixed with blurred yet vivid image fragments: in the elixir room's center, that chaos green sprout stood tall and graceful, its first complete leaf unfurled, the veins on the leaf having completely transformed, no longer ordinary plant patterns, but a miniature, slowly rotating chaos nebula scene, starlight dotted, profound and alluring. Beside it, the second, slightly smaller leaf was strenuously pushing out from the bud, tender yellow mixed with chaos gray haze, edges curled, full of vitality. At the top of the green sprout, the Dao patterns on the lotus seed had become clearer and more complex, faintly revealing an unfathomable Dao rhythm flowing.

"……it seems……it can 'eat' those bad things!" Jiu Er's thought continued, filled with surprise and excitement, "In the hall……occasionally a bit of black-gray, uncomfortable air drifts over……is it left from those bad things before? Qing Ya is not afraid! The leaf sways slightly……those airs are sucked in……then……then they become a bit of cool, comfortable chaos qi! Although very little……but it really works!"

The image fragment showed an extremely fine, almost imperceptible gray-black airflow ("disorder" remnant) drifting near the chaos green sprout, the chaos nebula veins on the first leaf flickering slightly, generating a weak suction, drawing that gray-black airflow into the leaf. The leaf's surface luster flowed for a moment, that gray-black completely disappeared, giving back a weak yet pure chaos vitality, merging into the green sprout itself.

Wang Ping's heart trembled. The chaos green sprout could actually absorb and transform "disorder" remnant qi! This ability was simply heaven-defying! Although currently the efficiency seemed extremely low, the processing volume minuscule, but it represented a possibility—a hope for purifying "disorder" pollution! This spirit root, transformed from the core inheritance of the Chaos Immortal King, its miraculous nature indeed far exceeded imagination.

Jiu Er's thought flow continued, becoming more lively: "Jiu Er is also doing well now! My spirit body has become solid, bored staying here (in the elixir room), I can even slip out to the hall for a stroll! Although I can't stay too long, nor go too far from Qing Ya……but it's much better than before! Helping Uncle Yun Hao and them guide the creative source qi to repair damaged places, also more handy! Just……sometimes I feel the outside is empty and empty, a bit lonely……"

A thread of weak, childlike loneliness came through in the thought. Jiu Er, though a spirit elixir, had a pure heart like a child's, long-term stay in the silent immortal palace core, accompanying a speechless green sprout, inevitably lonely.

Wang Ping felt a slight sourness in his heart, sending past comfort and encouragement in thought.

At this moment, Yun Hao seemed to have soothed the lively Jiu Er, his voice once again becoming dominant, turning more solemn: "Wang Ping fellow Daoist……another matter, needs to be told to you." He paused, as if weighing his words,"Recently……the outer patrol team……at the fragment's edge……near the fuzzy area of the 'Annihilation Band'……successively three times……captured extremely brief, weak……and not belonging to our clan……nor belonging to known 'disorder' constructs or remnants of the Reverse Element Hall…………strange space fluctuation traces."

"The traces flash and vanish……cannot trace the source……also cannot judge their nature……are they random spatial turbulence……or……is there 'another' probing?" Yun Hao's voice carried deep concern and vigilance,"We have already strengthened patrols and monitoring in that area……but the fragment environment is complex……difficult to fully cover. This matter……temporarily no conclusion, yet cannot be neglected."

Strange space fluctuation traces!

Wang Ping's eyes suddenly sharpened. The immortal palace fragments drifted outside normal space, position hidden, and wrapped in "disorder" pollution and post-battle chaotic energy, ordinary existence extremely hard to detect, let alone approaching. This sudden appearance of space fluctuations not belonging to any known party, full of ominous meaning.

Could it be coincidence? Or……the silver-robed force? Or other unknown existences interested in the Chaos Immortal Palace relics, or in the "disorder" origin? Or perhaps some natural phenomenon caused by the fragments' own spatial instability?

No matter which, it means the environment where the immortal palace remnants reside, though the seal is stable, is not truly safe, potential threats still exist, possibly even coming from new, unknown directions.

"Yun Hao commander, this matter must be strictly investigated, utmost care must be taken." Wang Ping transmitted a solemn thought,"On the spirit realm side, I will also pay attention to whether there are related clues. Your primary task is to ensure the safety of the core seal and your own well-being, if there is an emergency, do not hesitate to activate the message talisman."

"Understood……thank you, fellow Daoist, for your concern." Yun Hao's voice carried a trace of weary relief,"Jiu Er and Qing Ya……we will take good care of them. Space fluctuation matter……if there is any progress……immediate transmission. Take care."

"Take care."

After the halo of the message talisman had remained lit for nearly ten breaths, it finally began to dim, the internal silver runes also gradually dissipating. The talisman's temperature lowered, returning to calm, only the surface seemed to have gained another faint trace of use.

The quiet chamber returned to silence, only Wang Ping's slightly hurried breathing remained. The brief ten-breath transmission consumed a considerable amount of immortal essence and mind, especially maintaining the stability of the cross-world channel.

He slowly withdrew his hands, adjusted his breath for a moment, digesting all the information he had just obtained.

The immortal palace is under repair, but the remnants remain tense, living in shadow and vigilance. This was expected, yet also heavy-hearted.

The growth of the chaos green sprout is delightful, the first leaf completely transformed into chaos nebula veins, the second leaf beginning to unfurl, the lotus seed Dao patterns clear, more importantly demonstrating the potential to absorb and transform "disorder" remnant. This is a ray of hope in the darkness, an important hope for future resistance against "disorder". Jiu Er's spirit body is solid, able to move briefly, the best choice for tending Qing Ya and assisting the remnants, her loneliness also evokes pity, but for now there is no other way.

And finally, that "strange space fluctuation trace" news, like a cold thorn, pierced the heart. It casts a new, uncertain shadow over the future of the immortal palace fragments. Yun Hao and them must be more careful, and on this side, the urgency of investigating the silver-robed force and the "An Shi Yao" clues has also suddenly increased. Whether these two are related? Is that silver-clad envoy who "measures the world with a ruler" also interested in the immortal palace fragments drifting outside the world?

Many thoughts turned and collided in his mind. Wang Ping closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Anxiety is useless, only action.

He first categorized and firmly imprinted in the depths of his sea of consciousness all the information transmitted by Yun Hao and Jiu Er, especially the details of the chaos green sprout's growth and its characteristics of absorbing "disorder", which perhaps could be referenced for future cultivation of the building wood seed, and even research on methods to counter "disorder".

Then, he began to consider how to respond to the potential threat of "strange space fluctuation". Directly return to the immortal palace fragments to investigate? Currently not wise, opening the world gate is not easy and might cause new spatial instability. The best way is to let Yun Hao and them strengthen vigilance, while on this side, in the spirit realm, use the Dao Institute's resources and channels to secretly investigate whether there are similar spatial anomaly reports, or consult ancient texts, to see if in history there are precedents of unknown forces probing lost relics.

"It seems, the plan to go to the Myriad Symbols Canon Pavilion to consult the 'Secret History Scrolls' needs to be moved up." Wang Ping muttered to himself. Not only must I consult the "An Shi Yao" and silver-robed force, but also pay attention to records on spatial anomaly detection, unknown observers, and ancient relic guardianship.

As for Jiu Er's loneliness……Wang Ping sighed lightly in his heart. Perhaps next transmission, I can try sending some spirit realm scenery fragments, sound fragments to her, even if just blurred thought, it could bring her some external color and comfort. But all this needs to be based on stable contact. Although today's transmission succeeded, the consumption of the message talisman is obviously not small, and the risk of cross-world connection still exists, cannot be used frequently.

Having cleared his thoughts, Wang Ping re-entered the breathing adjustment state, recovering the consumed immortal essence and mind. The success of the transmission brought precious information, also brought new responsibility and pressure. He needs greater strength, broader vision, more agile action.

Outside the window, the night on Xuan Wei Peak remained deep, but the eastern horizon already faintly revealed a thread of extremely pale fish-belly white. The long night will end, dawn will come, and perhaps the hidden undercurrents and unknown gazes are also quietly surging at this juncture of new and old.

Wang Ping opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the quiet chamber's window, casting toward that boundless, starlight gradually hiding night sky, his eyes calm and firm.

Contact has continued, Qing Ya is growing, and the turmoil has never ceased. On the road ahead, one must build step by step, and also need brave and vigorous progress.

On the summit of Xuan Wei Peak, morning mist not yet dispersed. Wang Ping finished his breathing adjustment, his whole body's qi mechanism round and unobstructed, the emotional fluctuations from last night's transmission completely dissipated, turning into a sheet of calm determination.

He changed into a set of plain blue Daoist robes, tied the Chaos Star Command to his waist, and carefully put away that message talisman used once, its luster somewhat dimmed. After preparations were complete, he did not immediately set off for the Myriad Symbols Canon Pavilion, but first came to a "spiritual plant garden" opened behind his cave dwelling by a specially arranged formation.

Spiritual qi pervaded the garden, the soil was specially prepared "five-element vital earth", mixed with a little precious spiritual soil obtained from the immortal palace. In the center, Wang Ping carefully took out a jade box, opened it, inside was exactly that building wood seed rooted in the palm of his chaos infant, co-cultivating with his life. At this moment it was temporarily moved out of the body, the two tender leaves swaying slightly, emitting a space-stabilizing Dao rhythm that made the space within a zhang around feel unusually peaceful.

"Temporarily wronging you to nurture here for a moment." Wang Ping communicated gently via divine sense. He planned to spend a long time consulting in the Myriad Symbols Canon Pavilion, placing the building wood seed in this carefully arranged spiritual plant garden to absorb pure heavenly-earthly spiritual qi and a thread of earth pulse force, better for its vitality growth than passive nurturing in the dantian. Outside the garden were the concealment and protective formations he himself laid out, sufficient to ensure safety.

After settling the Fusang tree seed, Wang Ping no longer delayed, transforming into an inconspicuous streak of gray escape light, silently departing from Xuān Wēi Peak and flying toward the Wanxiang Cangjing Pavilion in the core area of the Dao Institute.

The Wanxiang Cangjing Pavilion was not a single standalone building but an extensive architectural complex built into the mountains, with layered halls and flying eaves and bracket sets hidden among ancient trees and spiritual mist. The outer area was open to Dao Institute disciples, bustling with people, filled with the sounds of borrowing, returning, and quiet discussion, brimming with academic vitality. Wang Ping produced the Chaos Star Command, and the guarding disciple respectfully let him pass; he directly traversed the noisy outer area and headed toward the core area entrance marked in the jade tablet.

The deeper he went, the older and more solemn the buildings became, and the fewer the traces of human presence. Finally, he stopped before a seemingly ordinary blue-gray stone hall. The hall bore no plaque, its doors tightly shut, its surface etched with traces of erosion from wind and rain over the years, yet it subtly merged with the surrounding mountain terrain and meridians, emanating a mysterious aura of "hiding truth and embracing emptiness."

This was one of the entrances to the core area—the "Guicang Hall."

Wang Ping took out the Chaos Star Command and pressed it against an inconspicuous depression on the hall door. The chaotic star pattern on the reverse of the token flowed with clear light, resonating with the hall door. Soundlessly, the heavy stone door slid inward, revealing a downward passage illuminated by night pearls. The walls of the passage were not rock but a certain dark wood, naturally veined with silver patterns resembling the meridians of a living thing, faintly throbbing, emitting a power that calmed the mind and blocked probing.

Upon entering the passage, the stone door silently closed behind him. Wang Ping felt a gentle yet resilient force sweep over his body, as if verifying his permission and identity, then dissipating after a moment. He walked down the passage for about a hundred zhang, when his vision suddenly opened up.

Before him lay a "subterranean sea of books" so vast and mysterious that words could hardly describe it.

This place seemed to form a world of its own: above was not rock but flowing, star-illuminated chaotic cloud mist; beneath his feet were warm, jade-like white stone slabs extending to the horizon. Countless bookshelves were not neatly arranged but floated in midair, stood on the ground, or even half-embedded in the two sides' "knowledge walls" that flowed with various spiritual lights, arranged in a seemingly random yet actually Dao-rhythm-conforming manner. The shelves were made of various materials—ancient wood, jade, metal, bone fragments—and held not only scrolls but also bamboo slips, jade slips, silk books, bone pieces, metal plates, and even light shadows or strange objects sealed in transparent crystals.

The air was filled with the scent of aged paper, faint ink, and various ancient materials, along with a vast, ancient, and seemingly wisdom- and time-laden spiritual Dao rhythm slowly flowing. It was so quiet one could hear one's own blood flow, yet it seemed as if countless sages' whispers echoed deep in the soul.

Following the guidance of the "Dao Institute Secret Pivot" jade tablet, Wang Ping immersed his divine sense into it, locking onto the area corresponding to the "Secret Hearings Scroll." With a thought, the stone slabs beneath his feet lit up with a faint glow, carrying him soundlessly toward the depths of the book sea.

After progressing for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, passing through several bookshelf areas shrouded in different attribute halos ("Cultivation Area," "Divine Ability Area," "Alchemy Area," "Formation Area," etc.), Wang Ping stopped in a relatively secluded, slightly dim area. Here, the bookshelves were mostly made of dark ancient wood or gray-white stone, and the books on them mostly appeared extremely ancient, many damaged and carefully protected by specially crafted transparent sealing covers. The air was filled with a mingling of historical dust and hidden secrecy.

This was the "Secret Hearings Area."

Wang Ping's goal was clear. He first sought bookshelves related to "An Shi Yao" and similar ancient ballads and prophecy collections. Soon, he found a stone rack in a corner labeled "Ancient Ballads and Correspondences." The rack held few books—about a hundred or so—each exuding an ancient aura.

He focused his mind, his Chaos divine sense like the most agile tendril, lightly brushing over the surfaces of these books, not forcibly intruding but sensing their age, material, and the faintest trace of lingering Dao rhythm. At the same time, he recalled the characteristics of "An Shi Yao" described by Yu Liuli: extremely ancient, made of embroidered silk, with obscure lyrics involving "Silver-Clad Envoys," etc.

Suddenly, his fingertip paused on a dark-colored brocade of deep cyan, embroidered with blurred cloud patterns in some silver thread. This brocade scroll was placed in a sandalwood box, the lid carved with the three ancient characters "An Shi Yao (残)." The brocade itself exuded an aura of age more ancient than most surrounding books, and the silver threads, in the dim light, seemed to flow with a faint icy, orderly luster, subtly resembling the aura of the "Silver-Clad Envoys" described by Yu Liuli!

Wang Ping carefully took out the wooden box and opened the sealing cover. The brocade unfolded, its material tough yet thin, embroidered with an ancient technique: lines of unevenly arranged, oddly ancient-charactered ballad text, beside which were smaller, seemingly later-added annotation characters, mostly blurred. He directly looked at the passage Yu Liuli had mentioned.

"... Silver-Clad Envoys, from the other shore, come holding rule and square, measuring the world's edge. Freezing life, solidifying the river of time, sowing seeds of silence, to await... the day of harvest."

The embroidered silver lines on this passage seemed especially bright; those key words—"Silver-Clad," "rule and square," "measure," "freeze," "solidify," "seeds of silence," "harvest"—like icy needles, pricked Wang Ping's eyes. Beside the lyrics was a severely worn annotation, barely legible, containing fragments like "... possibly referring to 'Heaven-Patrollers'... 'Shadow of Order'... but no evidence in research, remains doubtful."

"Heaven-Patrollers? Shadow of Order?" Wang Ping silently recited these two titles, his brows tightly knit. This seemed to be a later commentator's guess about the "Silver-Clad Envoys," but equally lacking evidence. He continued to scan the rest of the brocade with his divine sense, hoping to find more clues, but the remaining lyrics mostly concerned heavenly and earthly upheavals, clan rise and fall, and moral teachings—though obscure, they never again directly mentioned "Silver-Clad" descriptions.

He did not lose heart, firmly memorizing the style, features, and especially that passage of lyrics and its blurred annotation from the残卷 of "An Shi Yao." Then he began to browse other books on the same rack possibly related to the "Silver-Robed Forces" or "Shadow of Order."

Soon, he discovered several scattered possibly related records:

A set of bone slips titled "Records of Ancient Oddities," one of which bore刻痕: "There came a stranger, clad like frost and snow, wherever he went all things stagnated, measuring earth veins, drawing star charts, silent and speechless, as if not of living kind." Estimated to be slightly later than "An Shi Yao," the description was more brief, but "clad like frost and snow," "all things stagnated," "measuring earth veins, drawing star charts" matched the silver-robed cultivators highly.

Another beast-hide scroll, "Records of Strange Things Beyond the Wilderness," contained a passage about the "Northern Ming Cold Abyss," stating that ancient explorers had once ventured deep into the cold abyss and saw "a city of frozen ice, silver-armored guards standing like a forest, devoid of life, only the markings of measures and scales covering the city walls." The explorers dared not go deeper, fled in panic, and afterward the city left no trace. This account was more legendary, and it spoke of "silver-armored guards" rather than "silver-robed," but "frozen" and "markings of measures and scales" subtly echoed.

There was also a "Sect Leader's Handwritten Notes" from a certain extinct minor sect, mentioning that the founding patriarch, during a starry sky journey, once glimpsed "silver flowing light, shuttling between stars, where it passed the stars' orbits slightly adjusted, as if... correcting something," the patriarch startled and frightened, immediately fled far away, and listed this as the sect's highest secret.

These records were scattered, vague, and hard to directly corroborate, possibly mixed with imagination and hearsay. But placing them alongside the lyrics of "An Shi Yao" and the personal experiences of Wang Ping and others, an unsettling puzzle began to emerge: a being (or beings) clad in silver-white garments, mastering some power of "freezing," "order," and "measurement," acting covertly, purpose unclear, and seemingly appearing occasionally in various records since extremely ancient times.

"Heaven-Patrollers... Shadow of Order..." Wang Ping chewed on these two titles. They were more abstract than "Silver-Clad Envoys," yet seemed closer to their essential nature—like patrollers and shadows maintaining some kind of "order."

He temporarily noted these clues, then turned to his next target: records concerning the "Xu Clan," the "Great Void Forbidden," and the "Object of Spatial Origin."

This search was more difficult. The Xu Clan itself had nearly vanished into historical dust, related records as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Wang Ping carefully searched in several related shelf areas—"Ancient Clans," "Spatial Secret Arts," "Forbidden Law Origins"—spending nearly two hours before finding a few mentions.

In the jade slip "Records of Myriad Clans," which recorded ancient clan hegemony, there were a few lines: "Xu Clan, skilled in governing the void, their traces elusive, they dislike conflict. In a certain year, heaven cracked, stars were swallowed, the Xu Clan enacted a forbidden law as a clan to seal it, after which the clan's fortune declined, gradually fading from hearing." This basically matched what Cangxuan said, but equally vague.

On another metal plate dedicated to recording lost forbidden arts, "Collected Lost Forbidden Arts," there was mention of the "Great Void Forbidden," described as: "Using blood sacrifice to the void, to forge an eternal prison; the caster and the target both fall into nothingness, an ultimate law of mutual destruction with the enemy, a secret transmission of the Xu Clan, now lost." This highlighted the cruel cost of "blood sacrifice to the void" and "mutual destruction with the enemy," but said nothing about how to break it.

As for records of the "Object of Spatial Origin," they were somewhat more numerous but also extremely lofty and elusive. Some mentioned "Innate Spatial Crystals" born from fragments of the primordial chaos fetal membrane at the world's beginning; some recorded the "Heart of the Void" as the core of certain small worlds about to fully evolve but unexpectedly collapsed; there were also legends that "Fusang tree branches" possessed supreme power to penetrate all worlds and stabilize space, but the Fusang tree had long vanished in antiquity, existing only in myth.

These records further confirmed Cangxuan's judgment and highlighted the difficulty of breaking the "Void Eternal Prison." The existence of the Fusang tree seed gave Wang Ping a glimmer of hope, but how faint that hope was.

Finally, Wang Ping also deliberately paid attention to similar records concerning "Traces of Unexplained Spatial Fluctuation Probing." In the "Miscellaneous Records of Exploring Lost Secret Realms" by cultivators through the ages, he found an interesting passage: a certain ancient cultivator exploring a moving relic named "Pingxian Immortal Mansion" had repeatedly sensed outside the relic "strange fluctuations like a watching eye, flashing and gone," unable to trace the source, and ultimately, when the relic was about to flee into the void, he faintly saw a flash of "silver light" in the extreme distance, then vanish. The cultivator suspected it was some unknown "relic hunter" or "void creature."

The date of this account is also unverifiable, and the description of "silver light" is too vague, but combined with the "unexplained spatial fluctuations" at the edge of the Immortal Palace fragments, it inevitably invites association.

Time flew by in focused reading. When Wang Ping had imprinted all valuable clues with his divine sense and roughly browsed the relevant area with no new findings, six full hours had passed.

He gently closed the last beast-hide ancient book and returned it to its place. Prolonged high-intensity divine sense reading and information processing, even with his current soul strength, left him feeling a slight fatigue. But the gains were immense.

The lyrics of "An Shi Yao" had received physical corroboration; the guesses of "Heaven-Patrollers" and "Shadow of Order" provided new investigative directions; the scattered records about the Xu Clan and the Great Void Forbidden confirmed Cangxuan's information reliability and deepened his understanding of the terror of the "Void Eternal Prison"; the records on Objects of Spatial Origin indicated the preciousness and uniqueness of the Fusang tree seed; and the "silver light probing traces" account provided a possible reference for the abnormal fluctuations at the edge of the Immortal Palace fragments.

Although the mystery remained mountainous, at least it was no longer without a clue. In the dust of history, a few threads had already emerged.

Wang Ping rubbed his brow, easing his divine sense fatigue. He did not immediately leave, but walked to a relatively open corner of the Secret Hearings Area, where a few simple meditation futons were set up for readers to rest briefly and organize their thoughts.

He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and laid out all the clues he had gained today in his sea of consciousness like a puzzle, trying to find any possible internal connections among them.

Silver-Robed Forces (Silver-Clad Envoys/Heaven-Patrollers/Shadow of Order)—Behavioral traits: measurement, freezing, order, secrecy, purpose suspected to be "harvest." Existence extremely ancient, occasional appearances in various secret records. Suspected to have probing interest in special relics (like Immortal Palace fragments).

Xu Clan and the "Great Void Forbidden"—An ancient clan skilled in spatial arts, who, to seal the "Guixu Rift," enacted a mutual-destruction forbidden law as a clan, causing their fortune to decline. Youming's "Void Eternal Prison" may originate from a variant of such forbidden law.

"Disorder" Origin—A corrupting invasive force from beyond the world, whose core is sealed by the Chaos Immortal Palace, while the Reverse Yuan Hall attempts to release it via blood sacrifice, but was stopped by Wang Ping and others and resealed. What is the relationship between the Silver-Robed Forces and "Disorder"? Adversarial? Utilizing? Or more complex?

Fusang Tree Seed—A highest-level Object of Spatial Origin; when grown, it may communicate with all worlds and stabilize space, and is the key hope for future breaking of the "Void Eternal Prison," and may also have special effects against "Disorder."

Unexplained Spatial Fluctuations at the Edge of the Immortal Palace Fragments—Suspected unknown probing, possibly related to the Silver-Robed Forces, possibly not, but must be guarded against.

These clues intertwined and entangled, like a giant net just revealing its outline, while Wang Ping felt himself standing at the edge of the net, trying to see its full form and what lurked at its center.

"Strength... or rather, insufficient strength." Wang Ping's heart again rose with urgency. Whether facing potential threats from the Silver-Robed Forces, or future breaking of Youming's prison, or cultivating the Fusang tree seed and exploring the Chaos Great Dao, all required greater cultivation, more exquisite skill, and deeper knowledge.

He opened his eyes; fatigue gone, only a calm resolve remained. Today's gains had already pointed toward a more concrete direction for upcoming actions:

1. Continue deep digging into records related to "Heaven-Patrollers" and "Shadow of Order," possibly trying to find corroboration from Dao Institute formation, astrology, or even causality divination classics.

2. Accelerate the cultivation of the Fusang tree seed, try to guide its spatial power, and explore whether it possesses the ability to sense or resist abnormal spatial fluctuations.

3. Enhance his own comprehension of the Dao of Space, possibly aided by the Chaos Immortal King's weapon-crafting insights that may involve spatial weapon-crafting, as well as related secret realms of the Dao Institute (such as possible spatial mysteries in the depths of the "Chaos Cloud Sea").

4. Stay in sync with Cangxuan and Yu Liuli, share today's findings, especially inform them of the clues on "Heaven-Patrollers" and "Shadow of Order," to see if their clan has more related records.

5. Pay attention to whether there are new reports inside and outside the Dao Institute concerning abnormal spatial fluctuations or relics being probed.

Having clarified his thoughts, Wang Ping rose, returned the futon to its place, and slightly bowed his head toward this vast "Secret Hearings Sea of Books," as if thanking the silent sages for their glimmer of wisdom.

He followed his way back, silently departed from Guicang Hall, and returned to the sunlit Dao Institute. The outside world remained the bustling scene of disciples coming and going, discussing and practicing the Dao, utterly different from the atmosphere of the Secret Hearings Area, which had沉淀 countless secrets and heaviness.

Wang Ping lifted his head to gaze at the sky; it was already afternoon. He did not return to Xuān Wēi Peak, but turned toward another place—the "Administrative Chief's Hall," responsible for the Dao Institute's daily affairs and information aggregation.

He needed, as a First-Class Instructor, to legally access records from the past hundred years filed by the Dao Institute concerning "abnormal spatial phenomena," "unknown probing reports," and "lost relic abnormal fluctuations." This might, from another angle, corroborate or supplement the information he had gained from ancient texts.

Escape light rose again, sweeping past layered halls. Wang Ping's figure merged into the daily flow of the Dao Institute, appearing ordinary, yet only his eyes, growing ever deeper and calmer, displayed that what he bore had long surpassed the ordinary duties of an instructor.

Seeking ancient texts in the scripture store, tracing Youming's traces. The mist of history was parted by a slit, revealing the road ahead, yet it seemed even more深邃 and deceitful. But since he had chosen to move forward, he must only grasp tightly the faint light in his hand, step by step delve deeper, until truth emerges, or he illuminates the abyss with his body.