The night was deep, and a faint, lingering sense of impending doom hung in the air among the bamboo courtyard.
Xuanwei followed this faint yet chilling killing intent as he slowly made his way here.
He had just stepped into the bamboo courtyard when his gaze swept across the room and suddenly fixed on the headless corpse in the courtyard, causing him to abruptly stop in his tracks.
On the bluestone ground in the courtyard, Chen Du was squatting beside the corpse, a ball of pure, dark golden Calamity Light condensed in his palm, about to completely erase all traces.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up.
Moonlight bathed his shoulders, and the boy's expression remained calm and composed, showing no trace of the restlessness that followed the battle.
Xuanwei's gaunt face was now covered with a deep, dark expression.
"Master." Chen Du slowly stood up, speaking frankly and without any concealment.
"This man's name is Zhao Heng, the sect leader of the Tianyan Sect. Tonight, he trespassed into Qingfeng Mountain and sneaked into the Bamboo Courtyard, intending to attack me, but I killed him in retaliation."
With a buzzing sound.
Xuanwei's pupils suddenly contracted, and a turbulent wave surged in his heart.
He stood still for several breaths before stepping into the courtyard and looking down at the corpses on the ground.
The neck fracture was clean and sharp, the remaining aura deep and domineering, yet utterly extinguished.
This level of cultivation Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis!
Having cultivated the Dao for thousands of years, he possesses profound insight, enough to discern cultivation levels at a glance.
Furthermore, he had also witnessed the Fourth Stellar Metamorphosis, and it was definitely not this kind of aura.
Xuanwei felt a chill run through him.
He naturally knew about the Tianyan Sect, a top sect that had stood in the Eastern Wasteland for tens of thousands of years, with a vast foundation and deep roots.
As the leader of a sect, Zhao Heng had cultivated to the Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis, making him a top-tier cultivator who could roam freely throughout the entire Eastern Wasteland.
In contrast, he himself had cultivated for thousands of years, but had only reached the Early Stage of the Twelfth Realm.
If they were to face Zhao Heng, let alone contend with him, they probably wouldn't even be able to withstand a casual strike from him, and would instantly perish.
Yet this powerful figure, who once dominated the region, sneaked into the small Qingfeng Temple tonight, only to meet a tragic end, his head severed and his body falling silently to the ground.
Judging from the state of the corpse, it had no chance to resist before it died; it was completely crushed and killed instantly.
Xuanwei stared blankly at the young man in front of him, his years of accumulated knowledge completely collapsing and shattering.
Just how terrifying a level of cultivation has this disciple, who is barely a hundred years old, reached?
Stellar Sixth Transformation? Seventh? Or even higher?
He couldn't see through it at all, and couldn't predict it in the slightest.
Only then did he realize that he had never truly understood his disciple.
After a long silence, Xuanwei's apple bobbed slightly, and his voice carried a barely perceptible dryness:
"You... you really killed him."
"Hmm." Chen Du nodded slightly, his tone flat and even, as if he had simply eliminated a trivial trouble.
A brief silence enveloped the bamboo courtyard.
Knowing that his master was deeply shaken, Chen Du spoke up at the right moment, explaining the layers of hidden schemes in detail, clearing away the fog for him.
"Master, the matter of the Tianyan Sect is not a private grudge. Zhao Heng came here to provoke us on someone's orders."
"The person behind the scenes calls himself Heaven Slayer, and his cultivation far surpasses that of Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis cultivator; his abilities are unfathomable."
"This man has subordinates who are remnants of the founding emperor of the Ling Dynasty. He is an old eunuch who Lie Dormant in the deep palace. His true cultivation level is at least one level higher than Zhao Heng's, and his background is terrifying."
He selected the key details from Zhao Heng's revelations about the palace secrets, Heaven Slayer's domineering methods, and the hidden influence of the forces left behind by the Lie Dormant in the court, and recounted them one by one.
As each word entered his ears, Xuanwei's expression gradually darkened, his brows furrowing with a deep gloom.
After Chen Du finished speaking, he remained silent for a long time, finally letting out a long sigh of frustration, his voice low and heavy.
"Emperor Taizu of the Ling Dynasty... I see."
"No wonder the court has been rife with turmoil and unpredictable changes in recent centuries, with layers of undercurrents that refuse to dissipate. These old Lie Dormant and forces, lurking in the shadows of time, have indeed never truly disappeared."
Chen Du said no more, and the dark golden Calamity Light in his palm shone again, gently covering the corpse on the ground.
A faint light flickers, then vanishes in silence.
The massive corpse, along with bloodstains, scent, and all remaining traces, dissolved into fine dust and dissipated with the wind. The bamboo courtyard was now spotless, without a trace of carnage.
Having done all this, Chen Du looked up at Xuanwei, his tone calm and composed, revealing thorough consideration and planning:
"After this incident, Qingfeng Temple will never be peaceful again. Similar provocations and murderous intent will only follow one after another."
"In the next few days, I will work day and night to reinforce the entire mountain gate's protective array, layering it on top of each other to conceal the temple's energy and prevent outsiders from spying on us."
"Master, please be extra vigilant in the future. If any outsiders trespass on the mountain or spy on us in secret, do not take action forcefully. Be patient and call me immediately."
Xuanwei gazed at the boy's calm and resolute eyes, at his young age yet already bearing all the storms of life. A thousand words stuck in his throat, but he swallowed them all in the end.
Shock, heartache, and worry mingled within him, but in the end, he could only express it by gently patting Chen Du's shoulder.
No need for further words, no need for further instructions.
He slowly turned around, stepping into the moonlight, and silently departed.
The mountain wind rustled through the bamboo.
The boy stood in the quiet bamboo courtyard, his eyes calm and undisturbed.
The game of chess has begun in the shadows; a storm is brewing.
He, on the other hand, can remain calm and observe the situation, waiting for the storm to break.
Three hundred million Dao Fruits merged with the divine soul; the Nine Swords finally became the source of calamity.
With a calm mind, Chen Du poured all the three million years of heavy Calamity Qi he had obtained from killing Zhao Heng into the [Heaven's Way's Gift] talent origin.
This tremor of talent far surpassed any previous refinement of laws or breakthrough in realm.
The Dao Seal in his Sea of Consciousness roared and vibrated, causing the entire Divine Soul Void to rise and fall, its Dao Resonance overwhelming. In an instant, three unparalleled opportunities appeared simultaneously, descending from the Heavenly Dao and settling deep within his Sea of Consciousness.
The first gift was a dark, profound golden light.
This light is contained and does not leak out, as still and deep as an ancient abyss, carrying the cultivation and enlightenment of the Tribulation Source Law for three hundred million years.
Compared to his previous fragmented and superficial understanding of the laws, this Dao Fruit of 300 million years is a complete, systematic, and fundamental accumulation of the Great Dao. Chen Du released his Spiritual Power to probe into it and was instantly enveloped by an endless torrent of laws.
It wasn't just a collection of intricate patterns, but rather the vast ocean of the origin of the Calamity Dao washing over his soul, cleansing his foundation, and filling in all the minor flaws and blind spots in his path after he fused the two methods and gave birth to the Calamity Source.
The second gift is the pure power of Heavenly Dao's empowerment.
The invisible Dao Resonance permeated the very fabric of the laws, from top to bottom and from the inside out, solidifying, connecting, and refining all the veins, key points, and barriers of the Tribulation Source Law.
The laws that were previously created through fusion still bore traces of artificial refinement. Now, they have been thoroughly polished by the power of the Heavenly Dao, shedding their flaws and becoming perfectly natural, truly transforming into his own innate Dao.
The third gift was a Wordless Sword Manual, which floated in the center of the sea of consciousness.
The scroll was empty, but the moment the soul touched it, countless intricate and ancient sword patterns unfolded, crisscrossing and encompassing all tribulations. It was the last of the Heavenly Tribulation Nine Swords, sealed away until now and never seen in the world.
Chen Du closed his eyes and concentrated, pushing the deduction ability of [Divine Revelation Reading] to its limit.
The profound insights gained from the laws of three hundred million years are gradually dissected, reconstructed, and integrated.