Chapter 399: An inexplicable opportunity, a mysterious expert!

Elder brother, what good plan do you have?!!

Yuanshi's voice echoed in the vast hall, carrying a hint of urgency he himself hadn't even noticed.

His gaze locked tightly onto the figure in the foremost seat, anticipation and anxiety intertwined, almost scorching the surrounding void with traces.

Laozi sat cross-legged on the mat, his eyes slightly closed, as if merging with the entirety of Kunlun Mountain and this heaven and earth.

Upon hearing those words, his eyelids, which seemed unchanged since time immemorial, finally lifted completely, ever so slowly.

There was no heaven-shaking divine light, no terrifying pressure.

All there was was a bottomless expanse of Chaos, as if it could devour all light, all inquiry.

"These days, Chen Ku is riding high."

Laozi's voice sounded, unhurried, each word as if dredged from the endless river of ancient time, carrying a heaviness that grinds down every edge.

"Greatly favored by the Dao Ancestor Master."

He stated a fact, a fact that made both Yuanshi and Tongtian feel a tightness in their chests.

"If we act rashly, we'll likely only bring about the opposite."

"To provoke the Dao Ancestor Master."

Laozi's words paused, and the air inside the hall seemed to grow viscous because of it.

Yuanshi's breath involuntarily caught.

He recalled the Dao Ancestor's visage in the Purple Azure Palace—impartial, yet supremely majestic.

That thought flashed by, and it made his primordial spirit feel a sharp sting.

"Therefore, we still need to deliberate at length."

"We must plot it slowly."

As those four words fell, the hall's oppressive atmosphere loosened just a bit.

Laozi's words were calm, yet like an invisible hand they gently pressed down the rising agitation and killing intent in Yuanshi's heart.

This is the leader of the Three Pure Ones.

Without moving a muscle or changing expression, he can influence the supreme principle of heaven and earth, soothing the turmoil in people's hearts.

Beside him, Tongtian, who originally had a faint, elusive sharp sword intent surrounding his body, now also subtly retracted it.

He gave a slight nod, the arrogance between his brows replaced by a touch of solemnity.

His heart became clear.

Every word Laozi spoke was like a pearl, all of them ultimate truth.

That fellow called Chen Ku is no longer the ant that could be easily pinched as before.

His rise was like a comet streaking across the sky, blazing with light, and has even secretly surpassed those orthodox disciples of the Mystic Gate whom they personally transmitted.

To try to shake such a towering tree backed by the Dao Ancestor head‑on is no different than striking a stone with an egg.

"What the elder brother says is absolutely correct."

Tongtian spoke, his voice low and resonant, with a metallic texture.

He acknowledged reality.

But behind this acknowledgment lay a deeper unwillingness.

His gaze flickered slightly in the void, as if countless sword lights were arising and vanishing within it.

"But just how exactly should we act?!"

Tongtian's fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on his knee; each tap sent a barely perceptible ripple through the void.

He is the Supreme Purity Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable, who governs carnage and, throughout his life, dislikes such roundabout scheming the most.

Yet now he has no choice but to do so.

This feeling makes him feel more stifled than a defeat.

Laozi listened to his two younger brothers' words but did not immediately respond.

His Chaos‑like eyes slowly closed again, and the whole hall fell into a deathly silence.

Time, at this moment, lost its meaning.

A breath?

Or a year?

Yuanshi and Tongtian held their breath, focusing intently, daring not to make a sound, lest they disturb the elder brother's contemplation.

They knew that once Laozi began to truly plot, it would not be a simple scheme but a grand design that moves the great trend of the Heavenly Dao.

Finally.

Laozi's closed eyes suddenly snapped open!

"Hum——"

An indescribable burst of brilliant light shot forth from the depths of his eyes!

That was not light.

It was the Dao, it was principle, it was the embodiment of some kind of rule.

In that instant the temperature of the whole hall seemed to drop considerably; a chill rising from the depths of the soul quietly crawled up the spines of Yuanshi and Tongtian.

"Hmph."

An extremely faint cold snort issued from Laozi's nostrils.

"This child Chen Ku may be strong, but he is ultimately still young and hot‑blooded."

"His actions are flamboyant."

Laozi's words remained plain, yet each was like an ice‑quenched blade, precisely dissecting the opponent's weaknesses.

"We only need to find an opportunity……"

His voice dropped even lower, carrying a chill that could freeze even a primordial spirit.

A little provocation…

That would be enough to plunge him into eternal damnation.

After the final sentence, the sound fell silent.

Inside the hall, deathly silence.

Yuanshi and Tongtian, the two future Heavenly Earth Sages who would shake the Primordial Wilderness, simultaneously felt a cold surge rise from their soles to the crown of their heads.

Their gazes toward Laozi carried deep reverence for the first time, even… fear.

This is their elder brother.

Supreme Pure Morality Heavenly Venerable.

Usually practicing non-action and purity, he seemed to have long transcended the world, untouched by dust.

But they all knew this was merely a façade.

This elder brother's scheming was deep as an abyss, vast as the sea, unfathomable.

If he does not act, fine; but once he moves, he will surely shift the great trend, laying a net of heaven and earth, leaving no escape, impossible to guard against.

This is true non-action.

Non-action, yet nothing is left undone!

On Yuanshi's face, his expression shifted unpredictably.

He carefully chewed over each word of his elder brother's speech, trying to glimpse the vast scheme behind it.

Provocation?!

He finally spoke, his voice somewhat dry.

Those two words, spoken from the mouth of the pure and non-acting Supreme Pure Sage, carried such weight that even he felt his heart tremble.

He struggled to keep his thoughts in step with his elder brother's rhythm, yet his mind remained a fog.

How can we provoke a rift between Chen Ku and the Dao Ancestor Master?!

Yuanshi posed this most core, also most difficult question.

This question made the hall's recently eased atmosphere tighten again to the extreme.

This time, Laozi did not ponder long.

He immediately replied in a deep voice:

"Hmph, those not of my Way must have different hearts!"

In the depths of Laozi's eyes, still as an ancient well, now surged an unprecedented chill.

He was no longer the non-acting Supreme Pure Sage who governed by inaction, but the orthodox of Pangu, the senior brother of the Mysterious Gate, the defender of this world's order.

He slowly lifted his gaze, sweeping over Yuanshi and Tongtian.

"That Chen Ku appears to act everywhere for the Primordial Wilderness and for all beings."

"But what path does he follow?"

Laozi's voice grew ever more gloomy, each syllable carrying a questioning chill.

"It is the Primordial Unity Dao!"

"It is a path never transmitted by the Master, never acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao, bypassing the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi, forming its own heretical school!"

"This is an anomaly!"

"An anomaly means a variable. And the greatest variable between heaven and earth often is the beginning that overturns everything."

As the words fell, the already thin air inside the hall seemed to be drained completely.

Yuanshi lowered his eyes, gazing at the wish-fulfilling scepter in his hand that floated with Three Treasures Jade Light, lost in thought.

Laozi's words, each syllable, struck his heart.

Anomaly!

Just thinking of those two words, a complex emotion welled up in Yuanshi's heart that words could not express.

There was disgust, there was wariness, and moreover… a hint of jealousy he himself refused to admit.

This person's conduct bears no trace of sage-like decorum; his speech is coarse, his methods downright shameless.

Yet precisely such a figure always stands invincible in righteousness.

Whether establishing the Ren Sect, fixing reincarnation, or rectifying the underworld, every matter is boundless merit, a deed that blesses all creation.

This made Yuanshi, who always valued ritual, cherished lineage, and took pride in Pangu Orthodoxy, feel an unprecedented sense of frustration.

He could find no fault to attack from morality or achievement.

The opponent is like a slab of marinated meat, impervious to oil and salt, yet clad in armor forged from merit's golden light, impregnable.

But now, Laozi has enlightened him.

Exactly!

They cannot attack Chen Ku's conduct, but they can attack his foundation!

Attack his Dao!

"We can simply go before the Dao Ancestor Master and declare that Chen Ku cultivates the Primordial Unity Dao, that it is an anomaly."

Laozi's voice sounded again, pulling Yuanshi from his reverie.

"We need only present the pros and cons of this matter to the Master."

"An anomaly uncontrolled by the Heavenly Dao, disrespectful of the Master's teachings, stirring up storms in the Primordial Wilderness, daring to replace the Heavenly Dao with his own—such a being, how could the Master tolerate him?"

"We need not even frame him; we need only lay out the facts and give a slight nudge."

"If we can make the Dao Ancestor Master feel wary and defensive toward him, that will be enough."

Laozi's words, like the sharpest blade, split the heart of the problem, and also split the final shackle binding Yuanshi's heart.

He abruptly raised his head, divine light shining bright in his eyes, speaking word by word, his voice cold and hard as ten-thousand-year-old black ice.

"What the eldest brother says is quite right."

"Our master transmitted the Immortal Dao to us, bestowing the Primordial Purple Qi, only then do we have our esteemed position as Sages today. This is the orthodox of Heaven and Earth, the true lineage of the Profound Gate!"

"That Chen Ku shows no reverence for Heaven, no respect for the Dao, forging his own path—this is sheer rebellion against the Dao!"

As Yuanshi spoke, the chill in his eyes grew ever stronger.

"His so-called benefiting the masses is merely a means to win hearts! His ultimate aim is to use his vaunted Primordial Unity Dao to siphon the fortune of our Profound Gate's Immortal Dao, shaking the very foundation of us Three Pure Ones!"

"This scoundrel's intent is as clear as day!"

He heavily slammed the three-jeweled jade ruyi in his hand onto the jade table before him.

"Thud!"

A muffled boom sounded, and the entire Kunlun Mountain trembled slightly.

An invisible aura of slaughter spread from the body of this Sect Master of the Chan Sect.

Tongtian remained silent.

He did not look at Laozi nor Yuanshi, but lowered his head to stare at the scabbard of his own Qingping sword before him.

His fingers slowly rubbed along the ancient patterns on the sword's scabbard.

Unlike his two elder brothers, his impression of Chen Ku was more direct.

That bastard is indeed shameless, yet his actions are rather forthright; he is no hypocrite.

As for the Primordial Unity Dao and the dispute over the Immortal Dao, in his view the Great Dao has three thousand paths, each capable of leading to the Dao; as long as one reaches the end, it is one's own ability.

Let him go before the Dao Ancestor to lodge a false accusation……

In Tongtian's heart, a instinctive resistance arose.

He, Tongtian, cultivates the Jie Sect, seeking to seize a sliver of life for all beings; his conduct has always been open and aboveboard, a single sword to break through.

Such behind-the-scenes scheming is not to his liking.

Yet he could sense from his two elder brothers beside him an increasingly resolute aura.

That was the resonance of Pangu and the Three Pure Ones sharing the same breath, connected as branches of a single tree.

He may not care about Dao lineage disputes, but he cannot disregard the stance of the Three Pure Ones, nor the attitude of their master, Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Laozi seemed to see through Tongtian's thoughts, his tone easing somewhat.

"Third brother, this matter is not our personal grudge, but concerns the rise and fall of the entire Profound Gate, and the heavenly order established by our master."

"What Chen Ku does appears benevolent, but in truth he is digging up the very foundation of the Immortal Dao."

"Today he manages to attain the Dao by bypassing the Primordial Purple Qi; tomorrow, will countless beings follow his example?"

"By then, where will our master's dignity lie? Where will the reverence for the Heavenly Dao Sages be? And where will the Dao lineage of our Profound Gate stand?"

Laozi's words struck Tongtian's heart like a heavy hammer.

Yuanshi also said: "Third brother, you ought to know that Chen Ku and we are no longer fellow travelers. Should he gain power, the first to be settled will be us Sages who received the Primordial Purple Qi—'old-era Sages'. How can we allow others to snore beside our sickbed?"

Tongtian's fingers, which had been rubbing the sword's scabbard, paused.

He slowly raised his head; the last trace of hesitation in his eyes was replaced by a sharpness like a sword's blade.

Indeed!

He may not care for his own reputation, but he cannot disregard his master's dignity.

He may disdain scheming and deceit, but when the threat endangers the very survival of the Profound Gate and the fundamental interests of the three brothers, any means becomes a necessary choice.

As for Chen Ku, although he is said to be somewhat "thick-skinned and shameless",

yet all his deeds are for the benefit of the masses, righteous and noble—truly hard to find fault with.

This is what makes him most frightening.

Against an enemy with no obvious flaw, one can only strike at his source.

And the only thing that can be blamed, perhaps, is his cultivation of the Primordial Unity Dao.

After all, what the Dao Ancestor Hongjun originally transmitted was the Immortal Dao.

That was proclaimed in the Purple Cloud Palace, personally declared before three thousand mortals as the orthodox Way of Heaven and Earth.

To attain the Dao, one must also have the Primordial Purple Qi.

This is not merely a method, but a rule! It is the supreme authority granted by the Dao Ancestor!

What Chen Ku cultivates runs counter to this.

He is openly challenging the order set by the Dao Ancestor, prying at the foundation of the entire primordial world.

If they were to go to the Purple Cloud Palace to meet their master, there would be no need to embellish the facts.

One need only lay out the facts and point out the potentially subversive consequences this "heterodox Dao" could bring.

One might actually be able to persuade Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

No, one will certainly be able to!

Our master, united with the Heavenly Dao, values order and balance above all.

Chen Ku, such an uncontrollable anomaly, an existence openly defying his authority, is absolutely intolerable to our master.

By then, there will be no need for the Three Pure Ones to act.

A single thought, a hint of displeasure from the Dao Ancestor, would be enough to doom Chen Ku to eternal ruin.

Upon this thought, the minds of the three Sages united as never before.

Within the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, the icy killing intent gradually faded, replaced by a deeper, more terrifying tacit understanding.

If they were to embellish the story a bit, they might actually persuade Dao Ancestor Hongjun to grow averse to Chen Ku.

Elsewhere.

Above the nine heavens, the Sages place their pieces, the cosmos as the chessboard, all beings as the pieces; the silent game has long set in motion the endless slaughter of the future.

As for all this, Chen Ku did not know.

Or perhaps, even if he knew, he would merely smile with a flick of his sleeves and say nothing.

The Dao he chose is Primordial Unity.

It is the beginning of all Dao, and also the end of all Dao.

What he seeks is not a sliver of life under the Heavenly Dao, but to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Dao, and even… surpass it.

Thus, from the moment he set foot on this path, he was destined to be an enemy of the innate order of the Wasteland.

The Three Pure Ones are enemies, the Dao Ancestor is an enemy, and the Heavenly Dao is also an enemy.

Since the whole world is against him, why bother caring about one more game, one more opponent?

His path knows no retreat.

Gods block and kill gods, Buddhas block and kill Buddhas.

Sages are no exception!

……

Vast and desolate land, ancient charm abounds.

A lone figure strolled leisurely through the boundless heavens and earth, steps neither hurried nor slow; with each footfall, the mountains and rivers beneath seemed to resonate with him for an instant.

His aura of Dao arose naturally, layers upon layers intertwining into rings, at times transforming into the hazy scene of Chaos just opening, at times evolving into the vibrant green of all things sprouting.

The immortal light did not come from external reflection, but seeped out from every pore and inch of his skin, mingling with the flowing Dao patterns in a wondrous way beyond words.

This figure was none other than Chen Ku returning from the Zi Xiao Palace.

He was not in a hurry to return to Mount Sumeru in the West.

That land was ultimately the dojo of Jieyin and Zhunti; although he had a place there, it was not the foundation of his path.

His Dao lies in heaven and earth, among all beings, within all things and phenomena.

Cultivation has never been limited to sitting in meditation on the mat of a dojo.

Walking the mortal world, traveling mountains and rivers, watching clouds gather and disperse, seeing flowers bloom and fall, is also a supreme cultivation.

If the heart abides in the Dao, then everywhere is a dojo.

That day.

Chen Ku's footsteps halted before a vast, boundless mountain range.

Ahead, the heavens and earth were completely divided by this mountain range.

Towering peaks like a dragon's spine, connecting heaven and earth, stood majestically; their grandeur made the clouds swirling around them seem insignificant.

Those mists were not ordinary water vapor, but a sea of clouds formed from condensed pure spiritual energy; as they roiled, faint dragon chants and tiger roars could be heard, a myriad of phenomena.

The entire mountain range was shrouded in a hazy immortal light, serene yet ancient.

Chen Ku's gaze narrowed slightly.

Originally calm and waveless, the depths of his eyes, which reflected the whole heavens and earth, finally rippled with a faint wave.

His leisurely strolling posture also came to a halt.

Huh?!

A barely audible mutter slipped from his lips, yet carried a hint of incredulous astonishment.

This place actually possesses such rich innate spiritual energy?!

This thought exploded in his sea of mind, stirring up a towering wave.

As a Primordial Unity Great Luo Golden Immortal, his divine sense had long merged with heaven and earth; his perception of spiritual energy was no longer a matter of sharpness, but instinct.

Just as mortals breathe air and fish sense water currents.

He could clearly 'see' that the vast mountain range ahead was essentially a massive source of innate spiritual energy.

No, to call it a source would be somewhat pale.

Every inch of soil, every rock, every blade of grass there seemed to have been steeped in the most ancient, purest ocean of innate spiritual energy, having undergone eons of sedimentation.

The spiritual energy was so dense it had become substantive.

What permeated the air was the sweetness of spiritual energy.

What the wind brought was the Dao rhythm of spiritual energy.

Even space itself, due to the overwhelming spiritual energy, was 'reinforced,' appearing heavy yet tenacious.

In Chen Ku's mind, the image of a divine mountain involuntarily surfaced.

Mount Buzhou!

Once the foremost divine mountain of the Wasteland, the heavenly pillar, transformed from Pangu's spine.

He had once traveled to Mount Buzhou, personally felt its supreme might that upheld heaven and earth, and marveled at its nearly boundless innate spiritual energy.

But……

Chen Ku's divine sense once again delved deep into the mountain range ahead, carefully discerning, sensing, and comparing.

After a moment, he reached a conclusion that even shook his heart and soul.

The innate spiritual energy here, whether in purity or density, actually surpassed that of the Mount Buzhou he had once seen!

How could this be?

Mount Buzhou is Pangu's spine, the center of the Wasteland; its spiritual energy's abundance ought to be unrivaled under heaven.

How could there be another place in the Wasteland whose spiritual energy foundation exceeds that of Mount Buzhou?

This completely overturns the innate understanding of the Wasteland world.

This made Chen Ku unable to help but feel curious.

You must know, Mount Buzhou is transformed from Pangu's spine, containing the essence blood and will of the great god Pangu, no trivial matter.

And what is the origin of this great mountain, that it could possess such astonishing innate spiritual energy?!

Such a thick concentration, it almost condenses into substance, turning into spiritual liquid that drips down.

Chen Ku could even clearly sense that with every breath, a vast amount of pure energy surged into his limbs and bones, scouring his Dao foundation, making his whole body feel at ease and his mana circulation a bit faster.

This is certainly no ordinary cave-heaven blessed land.

The spiritual qi here carries a vast, ancient, primordial flavor, utterly different from any secret realm he knows. It is a primal breath originating from the very beginning of heaven and earth, pure to the extreme and also domineering to the extreme.

Holding this mix of wonder and fervent curiosity, Chen Ku stepped forward and entered the great mountain.

He did not fly through the air, but chose to measure this unknown land with his own feet.

This is both caution and a form of respect.

Moreover, it is to directly perceive the Dao and principle flowing through this place.

As he went deeper, the sights he saw also increasingly shook his mind and spirit.

The soil under his feet was not mundane; it showed a faint jade color, feeling warm, moist, and solid when stepped on.

A roadside wild grass casually spread its leaves, upon which mysterious patterns flowed on their own, inhaling and exhaling rosy light.

In the distance, a strange beast resembling an elk, its whole body covered in snow-white fur, with twin horns on its head forged like violet-gold, leisurely nibbled a gleaming lingzhi; each breath expelled two visible streams of white spiritual qi from its nostrils.

It glanced at Chen Ku; its golden eyes held no trace of fear, only an innate tranquility and liveliness, then it went back to eating on its own.

All things harmonized, vitality flourished.

Strands of supremely pure innate spiritual qi rose from the earth's deep veins, turning into a thin white mist that wove through every inch of the mountain forest.

Sunlight filtered through gaps in the canopy, refracted and stained by this spiritual mist, forming seven-colored light pillars that slowly moved through the woods.

Such a scene was like the rear garden of ancient gods and demons in legend, a mortal paradise long vanished from the world.

Chen Ku proceeded forward while completely releasing his divine sense, merging it with this heaven and earth.

His mind and spirit immersed themselves in a mysterious state.

The ultimate heavenly principle contained in this place was clear enough to make one's hair stand on end.

The usually obscure and hard-to-understand laws of the Great Dao here seemed to have been stripped of layer after layer of outer shells, exposing the most primordial core naked before him.

The flow of wind, the waxing and waning of plants, the shifting of light and shadow, the circulation of spiritual qi… everything was expounding the truth of the world to him.

He didn't even need to deliberately contemplate; just by looking, listening, and feeling, countless insights would arise on their own in his heart.

After just a few li of travel, his understanding of his own Great Dao matched that of years of painful cultivation.

He faintly sensed that within this great mountain lay hidden some marvelous opportunity far surpassing ordinary spiritual roots and precious medicines.

It was a true great fortune capable of touching the source of the Great Dao.

This premonition made his heartbeat become a bit stronger.

Huh?!

Suddenly, Chen Ku's steps halted.

It was not because he saw something, but because of a certain 'nothing'.

The innate spiritual qi that originally filled heaven and earth, so thick it could not dissolve, at a distance of a hundred zhang ahead, appeared as a discontinuity.

An extremely abrupt void, as if an invisible giant mouth had bitten out a chunk.

Not only spiritual qi.

Sound, light, and even the flow of wind all came to an abrupt halt at the edge of that region.

He raised his gaze.

He saw, not far below the cliff face, a cave suddenly appear.

The cave entrance was only a little over a person's tall, ordinary, with no signs of artificial excavation, completely naturally formed.

Yet its interior was not deep nor dark.

But rather a pure 'emptiness' and 'nothingness'.

It was there, yet it swallowed all light cast upon it, reflecting not a trace.

It also blocked all sound; even the airflow Chen Ku deliberately drew near the cave entrance, within three chi, instantly vanished, disappearing without trace.

Chen Ku's divine sense attempted to extend forward.

Like a mud ox entering the sea.

No, even more thorough than that.

His divine sense, upon just touching the dark edge of the cave mouth, was directly decomposed and devoured by an irresistible force, unable to stir even a ripple, and could not bring back any information.

Chen Ku's pupils contracted slightly.

His figure flashed, crossing a hundred zhang distance, arriving before the cave.

Standing here, that feeling grew ever stronger.

Behind him lay a vibrant, spiritually fragrant sacred paradise.

Before him lay dead silence, icy cold, an absolute nothingness that devours all.

Between them lay only an invisible line, clearly distinct, eerily extraordinary.

The rocks around the cave entrance showed a withered deathly gray, with not a blade of grass growing.

Compared to the vibrant jade-colored land just a chi away, it formed a shocking contrast.

This is certainly not a good place.

A place of great misfortune!

But the more so, the more intense the color of inquiry in his eyes became.

To produce such a phenomenon, the origin of this cave is likely even more astonishing than he imagined.

This great mountain itself is a tremendous opportunity, and this cave that causes spiritual qi, light, and divine sense to all retreat is undoubtedly the core of that opportunity.

To retreat, or to advance?

Retreat, and he could safely cultivate in this mountain, comprehend the heavenly principle, his cultivation would surely advance greatly, stable beyond compare.

To advance, the road ahead is unknown; fortune and peril are hard to foresee.

However, the path of seeking the Dao is essentially like rowing against the current, striving for a sliver of life amidst myriad tribulations.

If one retreats at danger and avoids difficulty, the Dao-heart will be dulled, and this life is wasted.

A hint of resolute color quietly surfaced in the depths of his eyes.

He made no further attempts to probe.

Any probing would be meaningless against such a strange place that can instantly devour even divine sense; it would be mere futility.

The only thing he could trust was his own Dao and the sword in his hand.

Chen Ku adjusted his robes, circulating his mana to its peak; the protective divine light condensed but did not emanate, drawing inward beneath his skin.

Then he lifted his foot.

One step, he stepped forward.

His figure thus sank into that darkness which seemed able to devour all light.

Inside the cave was pure emptiness.

Light was swallowed, sound was cut off.

The air was filled with the icy chill and dampness of ancient rock, pressing against the skin and raising a fine shiver.

Chen Ku seemed oblivious to it.

Although his eyes could see nothing, his divine sense had already turned into invisible tendrils, extending in this dead silence of darkness, feeling every inch of the rock wall's texture, catching every faint wisp of airflow.

His steps were soundless as he moved along the cave wall.

Each step precisely avoided the scattered stones on the ground, making no extra sound.

He had to stay vigilant.

To be able to carve out, in this world, a cave paradise with such dense primordial spiritual energy, the existence behind it must certainly not be benevolent.

Any hint of carelessness could doom him to eternal ruin.

Capsizing in a gutter is the epitaph of the weak.

Chen Ku never considered himself weak, and would never allow himself to make such a mistake.

As he went deeper, that aura became increasingly evident.

It was no longer pure spiritual energy, but mixed with a more ancient, vast flavor.

It was as if opening a stone tomb sealed for billions of years; the musty decay of time mixed with the primeval aura of the world's beginning, rushing forth.

Chen Ku's heartbeat was steady and strong, yet his divine sense grew ever sharper.

He knew he was not far from that astonishing opportunity.

Finally.

At the end of the darkness, a point of light seeped out.

That light was very faint, not blinding, carrying a gentle, warm tenderness like a newborn, dispelling the chill deep in the cavern.

Chen Ku's footsteps paused for a moment, then quickened silently.

After a moment, he passed through the edge of that halo, his whole body bathed in a peaceful, warm radiance.

The sight before him made his breath catch.

At the cave's end lay an expansive natural stone grotto.

In the center of the grotto lay a pool no more than a zhang square, lying still.

The pool held no water.

Instead, a slow-flowing, pale golden liquid filled it—viscous and pure, its surface suffused with visible spiritual mist that rose, shifted, and gathered unpredictably.

Primordial Spirit Liquid!

Formed by condensing the purest primordial spiritual energy to the extreme, turning gas into liquid, it is a supreme treasure!

Around the pool, marvelous phenomena abounded.

Strange flowers and exotic grasses took root in the stone crevices, each form unheard of and unseen before.

They emitted a faint glow throughout, some blazing like stars, others cool like moonlight, bathing the stone grotto as if it were a divine realm.

Chen Ku's blood began to quicken at this moment.

He could clearly sense that whether it was the liquid in the pool or any spiritual herb nearby, the spiritual energy they contained had reached an inconceivable level of purity.

It was a power originating from the very source of heaven and earth.

Just a single thread of it would be enough for him to touch a higher-level barrier!

His body and soul alike were emitting the most primal yearning.

Yet, as he lifted his foot to take a step forward, an intense chill surged from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head without warning!

No!

Chen Ku's figure, as if struck by an immobilization spell, froze instantly in place.

That desire born of bodily instinct was instantly doused by a far greater fear springing from the depths of his soul.

In this space, aside from him and these heavenly materials and earthly treasures…

There was another aura!

This aura, faint yet present, seemed to have existed since ancient times, perfectly blending with the rocks, the spiritual pool, the light, and everything else in this place.

Had Chen Ku not, at the moment of seeing the opportunity, had his heart and mind stirred, causing his divine sense to produce the slightest ripple, he would never have detected this almost negligible 'discord'.

It was an ancient, vast aura, even surpassing a powerful one.

A pressure that made one feel insignificant at the level of life itself.

Chen Ku hesitated not at all; his entire qi converged instantly to the extreme, his whole body seeming to turn into a cold rock, merging with the shadow behind him.

His gaze, or rather his divine sense narrowed to a thread, moved with great difficulty, inch by inch, toward the source of that aura.

Every moment felt as if he were carrying an ancient divine mountain while moving.

Wherever his divine sense reached, space seemed to become viscous.

Finally, he "saw" it.

Not far from that pool of immortal light, a blurry figure sat cross-legged.

That figure simply sat there quietly, yet it seemed to be the center of this heaven and earth, the origin of all things in the universe.

Around him, there was no earth-shaking aura, no dazzling divine light.

All there was, was a profound and mysterious Dao rhythm.

That rhythm flowed like water waves, making him indistinguishable from his surroundings; he was there yet seemed not to exist in this world, transcending all things, so that no one could glimpse even a trace of his true appearance.

Chen Ku's divine sense did not dare to stare directly, merely perceiving it from the side.

Yet even so, he was still able to judge.

The strength of that figure had already surpassed what he could comprehend.

It was a fundamental crushing.

His own cultivation, which he was proud of, was as fragile as a candle in the wind before that figure, liable to go out at any moment.

A terrifying thought exploded in Chen Ku's mind.

This feeling…

This aura of being one with heaven and earth, resonating with the Great Dao…

Compared to the legendary Hongjun Daozu who lectured in the Purple Cloud Palace, his body united with the Heavenly Dao, perhaps even…

Not yielding in the slightest!

This stirred up a huge wave in Chen Ku's heart.

Hongjun Daozu!

These four words, in the primordial heaven and earth, represent not a living being but a law, an epoch, the executor of the Heavenly Dao, the endless firmament above all immortals and gods that can never be reached!

It is the endpoint, the ultimate!

Yet, this figure before him, merely sitting cross-legged with his breath condensed to the extreme, could actually be compared to that supreme existence?

This is no longer a matter of whether he is strong or not.

This is an overturning and reshaping of Chen Ku's entire cultivation cognition system!

He could not imagine or deduce what unfathomable realm that figure's cultivation and strength had reached.

A sense of danger springing from life's instinct turned into a piercing cold current that surged from his tailbone all the way to his celestial spirit.

At this moment, even Chen Ku's internal mana showed signs of stagnation, as if in fear.

Every pore of his had contracted to the extreme.

Vigilance?

No, this had surpassed the realm of vigilance; it was the absolute awe felt when facing heavenly calamity, facing the apocalypse.

Chen Ku's heel silently shifted backward by a fraction; the dust beneath his feet, undisturbed for hundreds of millions of years, now rippled ever so slightly from his imperceptible motion.

He had to leave.

Immediately, at once.

This was not cowardice, but the most rational judgment.

In the face of such an existence, any fluke mentality is a desecration of one's own life.

He restrained his breath, drew his divine intent inward, turning his whole self into a shadow about to merge with the surrounding chaotic void, preparing first to retreat into the endless time-space turbulence, then plan what comes next.

However, just as the intention to withdraw arose.

That ancient, unmoving figure, seemingly born together with this space, moved.

He did not rise, nor lift his hand.

He merely opened his eyes.

Boom!

This silent region, devoid of light and dark, of time and space concepts, was suddenly illuminated.

The light source was not from outside, but emanated from those pupils.

What kind of eyes were those?

No sclera, no pupils, only two sheets of concentrated stellar nebulae containing billions of galaxies.

Within them, great stars were born, bursting forth with the radiance of creation; also, ancient universes collapsed, returning to the singularity of extinction.

Life and death, beginning and end, endlessly cycled within, giving rise to boundless Dao and principle.

Merely the afterglow of that gaze made Chen Ku feel his soul would be sucked in, utterly lost and sunk, becoming a speck of dust in that nebula.

That gaze crossed an unknown vast distance, landing precisely on Chen Ku's hiding place.

No scrutiny, no probing.

Just a calm gaze.

Yet Chen Ku felt that from his flesh to his soul, from past to future, everything was laid bare, with no secret left.

A faint smile, as if hinting at a touch of teasing, curled at the corner of that figure's mouth.

"Heh heh, since you've come, why rush to leave?"

The voice sounded.

This voice was neither loud nor resounding, so calm as to have not a ripple.

But when it sounded, the spacetime around Chen Ku completely solidified; his secret art for escape turned into a joke at that moment.

Each syllable of that voice turned into an invisible chain of order, binding him firmly in place.

Majesty.

A majesty surpassing laws, originating from the source of the Great Dao.

Speak, and the law follows.

His whereabouts have been exposed.

Chen Ku's last glimmer of hope in his heart was utterly extinguished.

The path of retreat has already been cut off.

To keep hiding would only make him look more ridiculous and humble.

His body, tensed to the extreme, gradually relaxed.

Since he cannot escape, he will face it head-on.

Chen Ku stopped all concealment arts, revealing his form from the void, step by step, walking toward that figure.

His steps were steady; each step landed in the void, yet produced a resonant sound like metal and stone striking the ground.

This is the manifestation of his Dao-heart.

Even if the road ahead is an abyss, a desperate situation, I shall still march forward with head held high.

Finally, he stopped at a distance he deemed safe, straightened his robes, and gave a deep bow to that figure, clasping his hands.

"Junior Chen Ku greets the senior."

His voice was clear and steady, without a hint of tremor.

He neither groveled nor foolishly displayed pride.

He was merely stating a fact.

You are the senior; I am the junior.

This is the most basic etiquette in the cultivation world, and the only way to gain a shred of dignity before an absolute power gap.

He clearly understood that the cultivation he was proud of was insignificant before this being.

All he could do was maintain the reverence a seeker of the Dao ought to have, and the final humility of a living being facing the unknown.

That figure's gaze lingered on him for a moment.

In those eyes that contained the birth and death of the universe, some emotion seemed to flash by.

It was neither killing intent nor greed.

It was more like… admiration.

It was like a chess player who, seeing an interesting piece, made a move that was unexpected yet reasonable.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad."

He lightly nodded; though the gesture was slight, it stirred the resonance of the surrounding Great Dao laws, emitting waves of profound Daoist sounds.

The sound continued, this time carrying a faint, distant reminiscence.

"In the past… I still wondered who could possess such tremendous ability to obtain that supreme treasure."

As soon as the words fell, Chen Ku's heart suddenly clenched.

Supreme treasure!

He indeed came for that thing!

That figure paid no heed to Chen Ku's reaction and continued speaking on his own.

"Having seen you today, I feel at ease."

His gaze fell on Chen Ku again, as if examining a rare artwork.

"Kid, you indeed have some fortune; I also have no intention of being your enemy."

Those words made the frozen atmosphere seem to show a hint of loosening.

But Chen Ku dared not relax, knowing the truly crucial words were still to come.

Indeed.

That figure's tone suddenly shifted; all the previous buildup and praise, at this moment, turned into an indisputable final proclamation.

"But, that supreme treasure concerns the foundation of my path to the Dao."

"So, hand it over!"