Jade Slip Secrets, Chaos First Stirring and Strange Omens Arising

The Jade Slip suddenly jolted in my chest, like the first heartbeat of a living thing awakening. My fingers stiffened as I looked up at the night sky—the half-moon veiled by clouds abruptly gave off a cold blue-gray glow, while an exceedingly fine ripple split open in the depths of the heavens, as though an invisible hand had drawn across water.

The Spiritual Energy had gone wild.

This was no ordinary fluctuation. It twisted and collapsed from above, as if something were slowly opening its eyes within the void. I immediately pressed the Jade Slip tightly into my inner robe, wrapping it layer upon layer in torn cloth as I severed my aura completely. The Pseudo-Primordial Body activated on its own, and the Heaven-Slaying Origin sank into my Dantian like a cold current, not daring to leak the slightest trace.

Footsteps drew near from afar, their rhythm against the blue bricks neat and chilling.

I knew who had come.

Before he even appeared, that familiar oppressive presence had already descended—the owner of the Purple Gold Python Pattern Robe, the man who had sneered beside the cliff where my Dao bones shattered three years ago. Ji Hantian.

A figure flashed at the entrance to the secret chamber passage, and he was already standing before the door, gently waving a folding fan. His gaze swept over the ruined herb racks and scattered vine debris across the floor before finally settling on me. His eyes were like a blade scraping rotten wood, filled with scrutiny and disdain.

"So late at night, and the useless Young Master has come to inspect the spiritual herbs too?" His voice was quiet, yet every word was clear. "Or perhaps... you smelled an aura you should not have?"

I did not answer. I merely lowered my head and coughed, letting a trace of bloody foam spill from the corner of my mouth. My body swayed slightly, as though I might collapse at any moment. The wound at my waist was still bleeding, and every breath pulled at a dull ache, but that made for perfect concealment.

He stepped inside, his boot crushing a dry leaf with a crisp crack.

His spiritual pressure descended without warning.

The power of the Peak of Qi Refining Layer Nine crashed down like a collapsing mountain, pressing straight against my chest. Had I truly been a cripple, my organs would have already shifted out of place, and I would have coughed blood before passing out. I let that force grind over my body. Sweetness rose in my throat, and blood slid from the corner of my lips, staining the front of my robe red. My body shook violently, as though unable to bear the pressure.

In truth, the Pseudo-Primordial Body had already condensed an extremely thin pale-gold membrane over the surface of my bones, silently shedding seventy percent of the pressure. I could even feel those golden patterns spreading down my spine, inch by inch, all the way to my ankles.

I could not resist.

The system operated soundlessly, its warning coiling around my heart like iron chains: unless it was a life-or-death crisis, I could not make a move.

I let my left leg twitch faintly, like a convulsive reaction after my meridians had ruptured. Then my head tilted, and my entire body went limp as I collapsed onto the icy ground.

He approached, crouched down, and lifted my chin with his fingers.

"With only this much skill, you dared break into the secret chamber at midnight?" He gave a low laugh, released me, and let my face smash into the bricks.

Dust rose and stuck to the blood at my lips.

He stood and kicked me in the abdomen.

The kick was extremely heavy, enough to break an ordinary person's ribs. My abdominal muscles instantly tightened as the Pseudo-Primordial Body fully shielded my internal organs. Pale-gold patterns raced across me, then swiftly vanished the instant I hit the ground. Borrowing the force, I rolled twice and spat a small amount of blood, cutting a miserable figure with a feeble breath, like a man on the verge of death.

He bent over to inspect me for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the torn hem of my clothes, my blood-smeared body, and the section of bare calf exposed outside, stained with dirt and ash. Suddenly, his pupils contracted slightly.

"What is this?" He bent down and pinched up a tiny speck of golden debris from the edge of my sleeve.

My heart tightened.

It was residue from the origin that had escaped while the Pseudo-Primordial Body was operating. It normally would not show itself, but just now, as I forcibly suppressed the spiritual pressure, the Heaven-Smiting Power had surged within me and left behind a trace.

He stared at the speck, his brows furrowing, but he said no more. He merely snorted coldly. "A piece of trash like you deserves to trigger a strange omen?"

He waved a hand, and two servant-like men entered from outside. They hoisted me by the arms and dragged me away.

I did not struggle, allowing them to drag me along. My mind was clear, but my ears caught every faint movement behind me. Ji Hantian remained where he was and quietly said something to an attendant. The man nodded and withdrew, heading toward the Library Pavilion.

He knew the weight carried by the word "Chaos."

They dragged me through the courtyard as the night wind swept ragged clouds over the eaves. Along the way, I secretly mobilized a thread of origin, sealing the Jade Slip completely inside the inner pocket against my body and using Residual Dao Power to conceal its fluctuations. It no longer jumped, but that icy touch still rested against my heart like a piece of sleeping cold iron.

The Pseudo-Primordial Body continued absorbing the Residual Dao Fragments scattered through the air—the Spiritual Energy disruption caused by the earlier omen had not fully subsided, and the fragments were flowing endlessly into the Heaven-Slaying Origin. The first thread was almost complete.

At the entrance to the side courtyard, the two servants threw me beneath the corridor and turned to leave.

I did not open my eyes, maintaining the appearance of unconsciousness. Yet the moment their footsteps faded, I sensed several more watchful gazes in the darkness. Ji Hantian truly had sent people to keep an eye on me.

Slowly, I slipped my right hand into my robes, my fingertips brushing a corner of the Jade Slip. It had quieted down, but at that very instant, a faint hum seemed to ring out in the depths of my Sea of Consciousness, as though some ancient Runes were slowly turning.

At the same time, a deep tremor came from the direction of the Forbidden Ground on the northern side of the estate.

It was not an illusion.

The ground quivered faintly, as though something beneath it were awakening. I suddenly remembered—the Remnant Dao Crystal was still hidden inside the iron box within the gap beneath my bed board.

Could it and the Jade Slip have originated from the same source?

The distant bell tower sounded the third watch, its bronze chime echoing through the night sky.

I still lay beneath the corridor, my bloodied clothes clinging to my skin, cold enough to leave me stiff. An old servant passed by carrying a lantern. He jumped in fright at the sight of me, yet did not dare approach. From a distance, he only muttered, "What a sin," before hurrying away.

I closed my eyes and sank my thoughts into the system.

Heaven-Slaying Origin—Accumulation Progress: Ninety-eight percent.

Only a sliver remained before the first thread would be complete. At that time, the Pseudo-Primordial Body would undergo its first transformation. The strength of my fleshly body would far surpass those of the same rank, and even my recovery speed would become extraordinary.

But I could not expose myself now.

I had to continue lying here like a man about to die, wait for them to carry me into the room, wait for the watchers to confirm that there was nothing unusual about me, and wait for this storm to pass.

Yet just as I was about to relax the last thread of vigilance, the Jade Slip in my chest suddenly moved again.

This time, it was not a jolt.

It was a vibration.

As though responding to the frequency coming from underground, once, then again, synchronized with the tremors from the direction of the Forbidden Ground.

I suddenly realized—it had not awakened passively.

It had been summoned awake.

And what had summoned it was the Remnant Dao Crystal I had brought back.

In the distance, a gray streak silently crossed the starry vault, so brief it seemed like an illusion. The Spiritual Energy in the heavens grew chaotic again, subtler than before yet deeper, as though some law was quietly rearranging itself.

I opened my eyes.

A flash of golden light vanished from the depths of my pupils.

The blood on the sword hilt had already dried, sticking to my palm. Tearing it free would bring a stabbing pain.