Chapter 373: A Promise

Although the Five-Colored Divine Light is an innate divine ability of the Kong Que clan, reputed to brush away and destroy everything within the Five Elements,

its tremendous power has earned it a illustrious reputation across the myriad universes!

However, this great divine ability is not an invincible method; one can always find one or two methods to break it.

Just now, after Chen Heng detected that slight flaw in the operation of Kong Chong's Five-Colored Divine Light, he originally intended to use thunderous means to break open this technique from within.

Yet at the moment of action, he felt a strange sensation again; fortune struck his heart, and he chose to summon the Tai Su Zhen Xing, driving this method with full force to use it as the means to break the deadlock.

Tai Su is the beginning of substance—

First there was Tai Chu, then Tai Shi; once the form and signs were established, it was named Tai Su.

Tai Su, along with Tai Yi, Tai Chu, Tai Shi, and Tai Ji, constitutes the Primal Five Tai, which are one of the five stages from the Hunyuan Yin Wuji to the initial separation of heaven and earth, and also the fourth form among the Primal Five Tai.

Since Tai Su is the beginning where all things acquire form and substance, existing before heaven and earth,

it naturally is not bound by the post-celestial Five Elements; it can be said to transcend the Four Images and rise above the Six Extremes!

Furthermore, legend holds that if one can cultivate the Tai Su Yu Shen to the ninth layer of the Shi Jing realm, where no further progress is possible, it can transform into the complete and flawless Tai Su Zhen Xing.

From then on, one's body would eternally exist with the primal Tai Su, which counts as another type of merging with the true Dao, worthy of being called the foundation of heaven and earth.

However, this step of transforming from the ninth layer of Shi Jing into the complete Tai Su Zhen Xing,

apart from the creator of the method, Tai Su Zhangren,

has never been truly achieved by anyone from the ancient era until now; it remains merely an empty text without practical reality.

Even the scriptures of the Tai Su Yu Shen left no specific instructions or key points, only vaguely pointing out a dim path forward for later cultivators...

Nevertheless, even so, Chen Heng's current Tai Su Zhen Xing at the third layer of the Yuan realm has, to some extent, been imbued with a fraction of the primal Tai Su's aura and is not classified as a post-celestial object.

Under the unrestrained, full-force activation, although the true form could not easily break open Kong Chong's Five-Colored Divine Light, it at least made the flaws within that Wu Xing Shi Zhi Jie several degrees more obvious.

Without needing to use divination methods to calculate the path ahead, one could vaguely perceive it.

If previously Chen Heng needed to expend ninety percent of his strength to break open the Five-Colored Divine Light and escape from that Wu Xing Shi Zhi Jie,

then in the current situation where he had fully manifested the Tai Su Zhen Xing,

he only needed to expend seventy percent of his strength, truly saving a great deal of effort.

And at this moment,

Kong Chong's pupils constricted tightly, and he hastily turned his head to look.

He saw that within the divine light sat a divine man forty zhang tall, draped in crimson silk and rosy clouds; the cloud-leaves and heavenly flowers surrounding him rippled slowly from top to bottom like a water curtain before an eave, stirring up bursts of pleasant sounds, like Daoist palace musicians striking the metal of the Kun Court, playing the eight jade Ao, producing a sect's immortal music, truly delightful to hear.

The circle of round light behind his head was profound and distant, neither green nor white, neither red nor yellow, neither large nor small, neither short nor long.

It subtly possessed a grand spirit that mixed heaven and earth and encompassed yin and yang, making those who saw it unable to forget it and inevitably startled!

If viewed from afar, this scene was truly difficult to describe.

The divine man sat cross-legged within the light, extending his palm to subdue the peacock.

Streaks of divine light circulated endlessly in the mid-air, twisting and flying like rainbows, presenting a myriad of spectacles, truly possessing a unique and imposing momentum.

"..."

Kong Chong fell silent for a moment, seeing that Chen Heng's left hand had long since formed a mudra, with Lei Jin Guang and electric sparks darting restlessly between his palm and fingers, emitting "crackle" sounds.

The majestic awe of heaven and earth made one's heart grow cold.

It seemed that as soon as he moved, the Zi Qing Shen Lei would strike before the Five-Colored Divine Light could activate, completely inflicting heavy injuries upon him!

And after thoughts flew rapidly through his mind, devising several escape strategies only to reject them one by one,

Kong Chong was not the type to be overly aggressive, cruel, or unable to accept defeat; he finally sighed and said,

"Brother Chen, you have won."

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng waved his sleeve, first withdrawing the Tai Su Zhen Xing, and slowly drifted down from the clouds and mist, landing on the mountain peak beside him that had already collapsed by half.

Seeing this, Kong Chong also withdrew his own Five-Colored Peacock true form, transforming into the appearance of a young man.

He shook his head slightly, seeming somewhat unwilling, and asked Chen Heng curiously,

"This is the first time I, Kong Mou, have left the Three Realms Cave to tour the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, so my knowledge of current worldly affairs is not detailed.

However, I boldly speculate that with Brother Chen's capabilities, even within a high immortal sect like Yu Yu Yuchen, you must be second to none, with few able to clash blades with you!"

Initially, when he saw Chen Heng's figure in the underground palace within the mountain,

although Kong Chong was indeed surprised and felt wary in his heart,

that was only because Chen Heng had taken away the two items, the jade slip and the Daoist scripture.

If Chen Heng had fled far away using sword flight, even if he had wanted to give chase, it would have been too late.

In that case, this arduous journey to Dong Mi would have ended with him returning empty-handed...

In truth, Kong Chong had never doubted his own divine abilities.

Often, once the Five-Colored Divine Light appeared, no matter how skilled or powerful the expert, they would inevitably suffer Zhe Ji!

Relying on this asset, even knowing Chen Heng was a disciple of Yu Yu Yuchen, Kong Chong felt little fear.

Instead, once free of worries about the future, his fighting spirit surged, desiring to compete with Chen Heng to determine victory or defeat.

Now, although defeated by Chen Heng, Kong Chong felt a slight strangeness in his heart.

In his view, Chen Heng must hold a high status within Yu Yu Yuchen and was absolutely no ordinary disciple!

Otherwise, if just any random disciple of Yu Yu Yuchen could defeat him,

then the group of rebels from back then would not have followed Tian Yi Yan to rise up in rebellion.

They should have surrendered early, or even directly defected to serve under Yu Yu Yuchen, securing a great Bai Bai Qiancheng for their descendants; that would have been the proper course!

In response to Kong Chong's question, Chen Heng merely shook his head slightly and said,

"The heroes under heaven are as numerous as carp crossing the river; Brother Kong overestimates me."

Kong Chong naturally understood these were humble words; after sighing emotionally in his heart, he flew into the air, cupped his hands, and began conversing with Chen Heng.

Kong Chong's means and strength need not be elaborated upon.

Even among the innate divine monsters, the Five-Colored Kong Que's combat power ranks among the top tier.

Discussing the Dao and expounding the Dharma with this person could broaden Chen Heng's horizons and benefit him greatly.

Since both men possessed open minds and hid nothing from each other,

this mutual exchange of learning yielded great gains for both, making them feel the journey was truly worthwhile.

Yet time flew swiftly.

Three days' effort vanished in an instant...

On this day, Kong Chong suddenly opened his eyes.

Joy filled his face; after letting out a loud laugh, still feeling unsatisfied, he patted his sleeves, rose from the ground, and said:

"This discussion of the Dharma with Brother Chen has truly benefited me immensely; only now have I, Kong Mou, truly witnessed the outstanding talents of these Nine Provinces and Four Seas. Alas, I am currently merely an avatar here, so I cannot stay long.

Since all matters are concluded, it is time to return to the Three Realms Cave."

Having spoken these words, Kong Chong pondered for a moment before finally making his decision.

He took a jade tablet from his sleeve, pointed a finger at it, and after a few breaths, when the jade tablet trembled slightly and emitted a clear, vibrating sound,

only then did he extend the jade tablet toward Chen Heng, saying:

"Given Brother Chen's abilities and insights, in this mutual verification of learning and discussion of the Dao and Dharma, it is truly I, Kong Mou, who has gained the greater advantage.

Within this jade tablet lies my clan's realization regarding the Dao of the Five Elements; Brother Chen might as well examine it during his leisure, for it will be of great use in comprehending and cultivating that technique, the Five Elders Celestial Official Da Shou Yin. This is but a small token of my regard."

Chen Heng's expression shifted slightly.

He glanced at Kong Chong, stepped back several paces, and bowed respectfully with a solemn face to express his gratitude.

As a renowned great divine ability of the Five Elders Xiangong, the Five Elders Celestial Official Da Shou Yin was naturally not easy to cultivate.

Chen Heng had already experienced its power in the battle three days prior and gained a personal understanding of it.

It indeed possessed the terrifying might to destroy mountains, shift peaks, intercept rivers, and sever currents!

This was merely after Kong Chong's grandfather had modified it, transforming it into a divine technique that even a Divine Path cultivator could unleash.

Had it remained in its original form as an Immortal Path great divine ability, its power would have been far greater.

Often, a single palm strike descending would crush an opponent into a pool of minced meat, killing them on the spot!

The profundity of this great divine ability consisted of two aspects.

First, once unleashed, this technique could, following the principles of Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven Five Elements generation and restriction, firmly lock down the void and heaven and earth beneath the coverage of the hand seal.

All Dun Fa would become ineffective; one could only rely on one's own means to forcibly withstand this strike, not even exempting a sword cultivator's sword flight.

As for the second aspect:

the deeper the practitioner's Dao cultivation, the more immense the power of this Wu Xing Shou Yin would become.

Years ago, after Pan Pan Yangzi achieved the Pure Yang Dao Fruit, he relied on a single strike of this technique to shatter an entire continental landmass that had fallen into an era of exhausted Dharma, causing all the Netherworld evil ghosts within it to perish as well!

This was a purely brute-force technique that overwhelmed cunning, its momentum impossible to withstand!

However, precisely because it was so profound and formidable,

this Immortal Path great divine ability also harbored various obstacles during cultivation.

To successfully unleash it, one first needed to achieve mastery in the Dao of the Five Elements; only thus could one comprehend the principles of Pre-Heaven and Post-Heaven Five Elements generation and restriction, thereby locking down all things within the void beneath the hand seal.

Although this step sounded easy, accomplishing it was exceedingly difficult.

In the Ancient Era, even some true disciples of the Five Elders Xiangong were blocked at this very stage.

They could only expend great effort, painstakingly studying the scriptures of the Five Elements, using the method of Yong Shui Mo Gong to gradually resolve the difficulties.

The Five-Colored Kong Que clan, however, was innately close to the Dao of the Five Elements.

In some ancient texts, this race even bore the honorable title of "Young Lord of the Five Elements" and was hailed as the Spirit of the Five Elements.

Thus, the Kong Que clan's insights and realizations regarding the Dao of the Five Elements were truly exceedingly precious.

Speaking of value,

it far surpassed superior scriptures and Shen Tong Miao Fa, making it difficult to estimate!

With this item's assistance, when Chen Heng comprehended the Five Elders Celestial Official Da Shou Yin, he could save himself much trouble, avoid going astray, and achieve twice the result with half the effort!

"Brother Kong's generous gift leaves me, Chen, unsure of what item I could offer to repay such kindness..."

Chen Heng fell silent for a while before speaking with a solemn expression:

"Forgive my presumption in asking, but I wonder if Brother Kong and Brother Kong's grandfather harbor any allegiance toward—"

Before he could finish speaking, Kong Chong opposite him was already beaming with joy, waving his hands repeatedly.

As if guessing Chen Heng's upcoming words, he hurriedly replied:

"Whether it is I, Kong Mou, or my grandfather, we harbor no sense of belonging toward Tian Yi Yan, and we absolutely dare not incur the enmity of the Bapailiu Sect; please, Brother Chen, set your mind completely at ease!

In truth, speaking of the reasons, my clan and Tian Yi Yan share not only no affection but actually hold a grudge!

It was precisely Tian Yi Yan who killed the clan leader of my Five-Colored Kong Que clan, seized the Hong Jing Heaven which was then under our clan's rule, and used force to coerce the remaining members of my clan into serving him and dying for his cause.

To speak honestly, my Five-Colored Kong Que clan has also suffered greatly from him and holds no intention of rebellion!

Who could have expected that those bastard Wang Ba of the Dao Court, unable to distinguish black from white and allowing no argument, imprisoned all the Five-Colored Kong Que present at Hong Jing Heaven into the Three Realms Cave, making them companions to Tian Yi Yan; this is truly an injustice unparalleled in a thousand ages!"

After angrily speaking these words and cursing the Dao Court a few more times,

fearing Chen Heng might not believe him, Kong Chong immediately swore a Heart Demon Great Oath on the spot, his words sincere and earnest.

Upon hearing this, Chen Heng's eyes flickered slightly, lost in thought.

Although the old matter revealed by Kong Chong was secret and rarely known,

given Chen Heng's current status, verifying it would not be difficult; Kong Chong surely would not be stupid enough to gain trust through lies.

Thus, nine times out of ten, these words were likely the truth...

"With my current status, even if I wished to release Brother Kong and his grandfather from the Three Realms Cave, I fear no one would grant me such favor; it would only invite mockery..."

Chen Heng looked at Kong Chong and said in a deep voice:

"If Brother Kong is willing to take an oath not to recklessly stir up old grudges,

then once I have achieved success in my cultivation in the future, I will definitely exert my full strength to liberate you all from the Three Realms Cave. How about that?"

Seeing that Chen Heng spoke with earnest sincerity, Kong Chong's expression also turned solemn; he raised his palm to swear an oath, then immediately added another sentence, saying:

"If Brother Chen succeeds in this matter in the future, we will naturally acknowledge you as our master, follow your command, face life and death together, and tread through boiling water and fire without a second word!"

Back during their time in the Three Realms Cave,

Kong Chong's grandfather had expended his own vital essence blood to request that old turtle-dragon, who shared a close bond with Tian Yi Yan and had lived for countless years, to use divination methods to calculate Kong Chong's future prospects.

From the results of that divination, Kong Chong had also learned

that if he came to this abandoned residence of the Five Elders Observatory, he would inevitably encounter a tremendous opportunity.

Thus, this journey of his to Dongmi had come to pass.

And after experiencing various events, followed by a magical duel with Chen Heng just three days prior,

where he saw his Five-Colored Divine Light, which had always been invincible, actually broken and forced into a disadvantaged position,

a vague suspicion also arose in Kong Chong's heart.

That so-called opportunity and fortune mentioned by the old turtle-dragon was likely not some rare treasure or magical artifact, but rather a human favor...

Therefore, after deliberating repeatedly, he took a gamble; risking his grandfather's punishment, he handed over some of his clan's insights into the Dao of the Five Elements to Chen Heng, hoping to assist him in cultivating that technique, the Five Elders Celestial Official's Great Hand Seal.

At this moment,

having finally secured Chen Heng's promise,

Kong Chong felt a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"If you can truly help us achieve liberation from the Three Realms Cave... by that time, my grandfather will likely have a great fortune to entrust to you!"

Recalling that scarlet sword light of Chen Heng's, as if connecting certain dots, he thought silently in his heart.

At this time, after exchanging a few more words, Kong Chong did not linger any longer.

He cupped his fists toward Chen Heng, then transformed into a cloud of azure mist that rose into the void sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye...

"The Dragon-Entrapping Nail, the Hunyuan Divine Simple Pill, and this technique, the Five Elders Celestial Official's Great Hand Seal... apart from Dao merit and spoils, this journey to Yu Yang Kingdom has indeed yielded considerable benefits."

After Kong Chong's figure disappeared beyond the horizon of the sky, completely vanishing from sight,

Chen Heng gazed at the water and clouds reflecting each other before him, with layers of mist piling up.

Not far away, several pear trees swayed gently in the wind, trembling like snow; the scenery was indeed quite elegant and strange.

He pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a smile.

Although the experiences in this Yu Yang Kingdom were tortuous, all matters were finally concluded.

Now it was time to return to the Xiaoming Xiao Daze to cultivate the mind in tranquility, break through to a new realm, and temper his Dao methods.

The next time he leaves the mountain to travel, presumably his spirit and intent will be fully sufficient, his entire cultivation progress having nowhere further to advance within; it will be the time to go out and seek medicinal herbs to perfect his Dao heart!

"Just like the True Person of Guye, naturally gifted and spiritually elegant, with aspirations lofty and pure. Who knows the path through the myriad transformations' disparities? She stands not listed among the common flowers."

A faint, slightly sweet fragrance of pear blossoms diffused through the mountain wind.

Clouds steamed and rosy mist gathered; fallen petals were blown by the wind into a colorful dance, scattering abundantly.

Chen Heng chanted softly, swept his sleeve, and the Realm-Escape Shuttle burst forth a blue light that enveloped him; his figure vanished in an instant, leaving only his voice echoing in place:

"Vast qi clear and brilliant, immortal material outstanding and unmatched, difficult to distinguish in the lower earth...

Returning to the Jade Terrace, only within the Fan Fan Dongtian can one perceive such absolute purity!"

Half a day later.

Xiaoming Xiao Daze, Changli Island.

After first clarifying his Dao merit with the Daoist of the Gongdedian,

Chen Heng swept aside the misty haze and slowly descended from the cloud head, returning to this Changli Spirit Island from which he had been separated for several months.

This unusual disturbance in the prohibitions naturally startled everyone on the island, causing them to reveal looks of surprise.

However, before Tu Shan Ge could lead a group of warrior-servants over to pay respects, a figure eagerly bounded forward, hopping and skipping, rushing to arrive before Chen Heng first, braking to a halt just in front of him.

"It is you."

Chen Heng's gaze shifted, a trace of gentle warmth appearing at the corner of his mouth, as he said:

"You have transformed into human form?"

To be continued.

(End of Chapter)