Head-Shrinking Divine Skill, Golden Immortal Great Dao

Chen Changsheng's mind went blank for an instant under the immense shock brought by the four words "Primordial Violet Qi."

The foundation of sainthood.

That was a supreme treasure even saints sought but could not obtain.

The system had actually set this as the final reward for the main quest.

This was no longer a stroke of fortune; it was a Sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

Win, and he would ascend to the heavens in a single step, sharing the lifespan of heaven and earth.

Lose, and he would turn to ashes alongside the entire Jie Sect, his soul utterly destroyed, without even a chance at reincarnation.

"Accept."

Chen Changsheng did not hesitate for a moment, silently reciting in his heart.

He had no choice.

From the moment he set foot on Golden Ao Island, his fate had been bound to this great ship of the Jie Sect, which was about to sink.

If he wanted to survive, he had to keep this ship afloat.

[Ding! Main quest accepted! Heavenly Dao-level reward distribution begins!]

Boom!

A torrent of mana, a hundred times more vast and majestic than the previous two combined, poured down like the Milky Way from the Ninth Heaven, instantly flooding his limbs and bones, surging into his Purple Mansion Primordial Spirit.

The bottleneck at the peak of late-stage Heavenly Immortal was as thin as a cicada's wing before this power.

Without any resistance, it shattered in one charge.

Golden Immortal!

A profound and mysterious enlightenment of the Great Dao surged into his heart.

If a Heavenly Immortal was one who had initially grasped the laws of heaven and earth, then a Golden Immortal was one who had imprinted a trace of their own mark upon the River of Laws, henceforth impervious to calamities and possessing endless lifespan.

This was a qualitative leap on the immortal path.

The violent mana continued to pour in relentlessly, driving his cultivation soaring all the way from early-stage Golden Immortal to the peak of mid-stage Golden Immortal before gradually coming to a halt.

The explosive surge of power caused the space within the cave dwelling to warp slightly.

Threads of golden Dao Charm seeped out from the stone walls, and the spiritual energy above the cave dwelling was stirred into a visible miniature vortex.

Not good!

Chen Changsheng's heart leaped.

Golden Ao Island was teeming with great powers; among the Inner Sect Disciples alone, there were no fewer than several hundred Golden Immortals, and it was also home to Primordial Unity Golden Immortals, and even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.

Although the commotion from his breakthrough was not great, if someone noticed that an Outer Sect Disciple had skyrocketed from Earth Immortal to Golden Immortal in just half a month, how could he explain that?

This did not align with the Dao of Survival!

Without a moment's hesitation, he moved with his mind.

"Turtle Breath Formation Disk, rise!"

The ancient formation disk flew out instantly, transforming into a streak of light that merged into the four walls of the cave dwelling.

An invisible barrier immediately enveloped the entire cave, and all the overflowing mana fluctuations and Dao Charm were thoroughly sealed away in an instant.

Outside the cave, two passing Outer Sect Disciples were pointing at Chen Changsheng's dwelling and whispering.

"Did you feel that just now? There seemed to be a fluctuation in spiritual energy from Senior Brother Chen's cave."

"Must be an illusion. A lofty figure recognized by Senior Brother Gongming—how could his cave be something we lowly ones can spy on? It must be that his aura is restrained to the extreme, and with our shallow cultivation, we simply cannot see through it."

The two shook their heads and walked away, filled with reverence.

Inside the cave, Chen Changsheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately sank his mind into his consciousness to examine the supreme Divine Ability called the Great Freedom Head-Shrinking Technique.

A stream of profoundly arcane information flowed through his mind.

This was not an offensive or defensive spell.

It was an ultimate path of survival.

The technique was divided into three realms.

The first realm, [Turtle Breath]. It could condense all of one's aura, mana, and soul fluctuations into a single point, hidden deep within the body. Unless a saint personally deduced it, no one could detect it. It was countless levels above his previous "Innate Stealth Technique."

The second realm, [Sever Causality]. It could actively sever one's causal ties with the outside world. When one did not move, causality did not move. Calamity would not arrive, and killing intent would not arise. Even if someone recited his true name to curse him right in front of him, the heavenly mechanism would automatically shield him, leaving the target unfindable.

The third realm, [Head-Shrinking]. This was the highest state. Once mastered, one could temporarily "shrink" one's very "existence" to the extreme within the River of Fate. When the great calamity came, all things were caught in the net, but he alone could transform into a "knot" on the net, rather than a "fish" within it. The Heavenly Dao would not see him, and the killing tribulation would pass without harming him. As long as he did not actively leap out to stir the winds and clouds, he could remain imperishable through countless calamities, eternally free.

"This..."

Chen Changsheng was utterly stunned by the sheer dominance of this Divine Ability.

This was no Head-Shrinking Technique.

This was clearly a "path to invincibility"!

As long as I can hold on, no one can kill me!

He forcefully suppressed the wild joy in his heart, immediately sat cross-legged, and began to comprehend this supreme Divine Ability.

With his current cultivation at the mid-Golden Immortal stage, coupled with the Dao insights bestowed by the system's infusion, comprehending the first layer of [Turtle Breath] was almost a foregone conclusion.

Dharma power circulated, divine soul retracted inward.

Chen Changsheng's aura began to decay at a terrifying speed.

Mid-Golden Immortal.

Early Golden Immortal.

Heavenly Immortal.

Earth Immortal.

Finally, his entire presence became even weaker than that of a mortal who had just begun cultivation—faint, barely perceptible, as if it could extinguish at any moment.

Success!

Chen Changsheng opened his eyes, utterly satisfied with his current state.

He stood up, walked to the entrance of his cave dwelling, and withdrew the Turtle Breath Formation Disk.

He wanted to see if his disguise could fool everyone now.

The stone door opened.

Outside, a few disciples were still lingering in the distance, as if hoping to catch a glimpse of the "expert's" cave dwelling, yet afraid to approach.

Seeing the stone door open, they all froze.

When they saw Chen Changsheng's "pale" face and sensed his aura, even more "hollow" than an Earth Immortal's, a look of sudden realization dawned on everyone.

So that's it!

Senior Brother Chen has used all his earth-shattering cultivation to heal his injuries!

No wonder he could foresee danger—he must have used some secret technique that severely depleted his vitality to buy a sliver of hope.

No wonder Senior Brother Gongming stayed inside so long—he must have been stabilizing Senior Brother Chen's injuries!

For a moment, the gazes the crowd cast at Chen Changsheng were filled with sympathy and even deeper admiration.

To avoid a deadly calamity, he didn't hesitate to reduce himself to this half-dead state.

Was it wisdom, decisiveness, or mere survival?

As expected, the actions of an expert cannot be judged by common sense.

Chen Changsheng took in everyone's expressions and felt reassured.

He nodded weakly at the crowd, then slowly closed the stone door, shutting out all the murmurs.

Back inside the cave dwelling, the "severely injured" expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by calm and deep contemplation.

He had strength now, and he had a life-saving Divine Ability.

Next came the seemingly impossible main quest.

[Ensure the survival rate of Jie Sect core disciples exceeds 80%].

This was too difficult.

Every single Jie Sect disciple, without exception, was mostly driven by emotion, valuing brotherhood and quick to anger.

Making them act like Head-Shrinking turtles when enemies came knocking was harder than killing them.

To change them, relying solely on his own words of persuasion was absolutely impossible.

He had to subtly reform them from the root of their thoughts.

Make them realize from the bottom of their hearts that "lying low" was the only way out.

"Thought branding has to start from the roots..."

Chen Changsheng muttered to himself.

Core disciples were too high in status to reach or influence easily.

So he would start from the bottom.

From those Outer Sect Disciples like him, who were inconspicuous within the sect and could be used as cannon fodder at any moment.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

As long as the philosophy of "lying low" became a prevailing trend among the Outer Sect Disciples, forming a force no one could ignore, it would surely influence those lofty Inner Sect uncles and senior uncles in turn.

With this thought, a glint of sharpness flashed in Chen Changsheng's eyes.

He flipped his hand and produced a blank jade slip.

His divine sense sank into it, and he began to carve the first line.

<Golden Ao Island Safety Code of Conduct and Jie Sect Disciple Anti-Fraud Guide (First Edition)>.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching by the author—maybe it just changed its name!