Heaven's Will

Ling Wufeng saw it clearly!

How vicious had the mental assault unleashed by that jade disk been?

Even if he himself had been caught off guard, his soul would have been shaken and his breath thrown into disarray for a moment. Yet Chen Qing, the Misty Gorge Mountain sect master, had only just entered Foundation Establishment, and his breath had already settled again in the blink of an eye. There wasn't even the slightest sign that his Dao Heart had been injured.

It was simply... inconceivable!

"Sect Master Chen... I'm glad you're unharmed." He forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart, but his voice was three shades lower than usual.

Chen Qing seemed not to hear him. With his eyes closed and his mind focused, the lingering power of the Samadhi True Fire still burned quietly in his Sea of Consciousness.

The information fragments that had been tempered drifted like stars, rapidly sorted and organized.

"As expected of the Mystic Chess Academy, a great sect with a long history. The information in this rubbing is truly all-encompassing, yet fragmented and broken."

The contents of the jade disk differed in emphasis from Immortal Dynasty Anecdotes, but both did indeed focus on the early years of the Immortal Dynasty. The disk's focus was on miscellaneous accounts of local customs and the anecdotes of feudal lords. Beyond that, it notably recorded two great achievements of the First Origin Immortal Emperor—

First: He conquered the world with his sword, and all races bowed their heads!

Second: He ascended amid rosy clouds, leaving his name to endure for all eternity!

The second matter was closely connected to Chen Qing.

Thus, he steadied his mind once more, wrapped his spiritual sense in Supreme Harmony Qi, and probed into the jade disk rubbing.

This time, he was prepared. The surging, mixed-up thoughts that rushed toward him were still fierce, but they could not cross the threshold. The Samadhi True Fire Talisman burned them all outside his Sea of Consciousness.

He discarded the accounts of local customs and feudal-lord anecdotes, directing his spiritual sense straight toward the key events surrounding the Immortal Emperor's ascension.

Fragments of information surged over him like a flood, but most were useless: nothing more than how several ancient clans had begun to stir after news of the ascension spread, how a few regional governors had secretly formed alliances, and how some prince had won the favor of some reclusive old monster... It was all about switching sides and dividing up the spoils.

But...

"Dark currents roiled beneath Jade Capital. Extraterritorial fiends conspired with traitors in the court, seeking to commit treason while the Venerable Emperor was in seclusion. Fortunately, the Regent Empress Dowager suppressed them with a newly forged treasure. In an instant, the demonic aura vanished and the traitors were executed..."

The passage made his heart clench. Did it mean that the Empress Dowager hadn't grown weaker while the Immortal Emperor was in seclusion? Instead, she had taken advantage of the opportunity to forge a new treasure to protect the nation, then used it to establish her authority! There was no doubt this would consolidate her power.

A shadow of unease fell over his heart.

As he worried, his spiritual sense swept over a brief passage—

[...The Venerable Emperor stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge and ascended amid rosy clouds. The Empress Dowager retired after completing her mission, withdrawing to the Great Plain. Mystic Bright Layman received the Mandate of Heaven, inherited the Immortal Dynasty's Dao lineage, and became the dynasty's second ruler.]

Mystic Bright Layman!

Chen Qing's spiritual sense stopped abruptly.

"Mystic Bright Layman? The second ruler of the Immortal Dynasty?"

He had never heard that name before. Among the power players in Jade Capital he knew of, there was no one who matched that title—not the First Prince, the Second Prince, nor even the sharp-edged Sixth Prince!

"An assumed name? The Immortal Emperor had many descendants, so it's hard to tell for now. Maybe I should look into the title and invest early. But that all happened after the Immortal Emperor's ascension..."

Chen Qing pressed down the surging speculation.

"The most important thing right now is that the Immortal Emperor is still 'in seclusion,' while the Empress Dowager governs as regent and uses her power to suppress others. That's the deadly crisis right in front of me! But I still need to consider how to break out of it..."

He took a deep breath and decisively withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade disk.

Starlight flowed like water. Chen Qing's eyes snapped open, a flash of brilliance disappearing from their depths.

"Sect Master Chen," Ling Wufeng said from where he stood nearby. Seeing that Chen Qing had returned to himself, he continued, "This object is dangerous, and its information is complex and disordered. Forcing your way into it could damage you at the root. Perhaps..."

"I appreciate your concern, Fellow Daoist Ling." Chen Qing cut him off. "This object is indeed of great use to me. Though I wasn't able to fully see through its mysteries, it did resolve some of my questions."

He paused, his tone turning solemn. "Please thank Senior Mo on my behalf for this generous gift. I'll repay this kindness in time. It's late, and my sect still has mundane matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

With that, before Ling Wufeng could say more, Chen Qing's aura drew in slightly. He gave a light tap with his foot and drifted away like green smoke, vanishing at the end of the mountain path after a few bounds.

Ling Wufeng watched in the direction where he had disappeared, his brows furrowed and the vermilion mark between them creased. Doubt deepened in his eyes.

"After facing the information assault from the Myriad Phenomena Star Disk rubbing... he recovered so quickly, and..."

"His aura is even more settled than before."

An aged voice sounded from behind him.

Mo Huaiyong stood on a bluestone, his silver beard fluttering, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Uncle-Master." Ling Wufeng cupped his hands in salute, the vermilion mark between his brows creasing. "Why did you stop me just now? If Chen Qing had been injured by the disk's mental assault..."

Mo Huaiyong stroked his beard and smiled. "Wufeng, do you know that my Senior Brother Hun recently found someone with a Mystic Light Dao Body?"

Ling Wufeng's pupils contracted slightly.

Mo Huaiyong sighed. "Qi Gazing Hall has already decided to pour half its resources into him. If that happens, our faction's standing within the sect will be shaken."

Before he could finish, Ling Wufeng had already understood. "Uncle-Master wants to use Sect Master Chen..."

"Exactly!" Mo Huaiyong's sleeves swept outward. "Senior Brother Hun has someone with a Mystic Light Dao Body. Does that mean we're necessarily inferior? Chen Qing faced the Star Disk's assault just now and wasn't harmed in the slightest. His aura even grew three times more solid. How could such a foundation be ordinary?"

He gazed toward Misty Gorge Mountain, his eyes profound.

"This boy has an unusual fate. The Sea Abyss Temple is on the verge of destruction, just as Heaven's will would have it, severing his karmic ties. That proves his fortune runs deep! I suspect he also possesses some kind of Dao Body. That's why I stopped you just now: to use the rubbing to test him first, so we won't be completely unprepared when the person who can verify his constitution arrives."

"What is the Myriad Phenomena Star Disk? How can it record so many historical details? Perhaps I should ask the next time we meet. If it records a great deal of history, it could be tremendously useful to me."

Thinking this, Chen Qing returned to Misty Gorge Mountain.

The moon had just risen.

Fang Da'ao was still meditating in the courtyard, sweat beading on his forehead. When he saw Chen Qing return, he struggled to his feet and saluted. "Uncle-Master..."

"Sit down." Chen Qing spotted the problem at a glance. "Is your visualization not going well?"

"This disciple is slow-witted," Fang Da'ao said with embarrassment. "I can never get a handle on the surging waves in the Mountain Sea Diagram. No matter how I visualize it, I can only feel the grandeur of the mountains; the sea's essence remains elusive."

Chen Qing placed a hand on his shoulder and sent in a thread of Supreme Harmony Qi. He understood at once.

"By rights, there's no need to rush after your first attempt today. Your nature is forthright, so it's true that you'd find it hard to match the sea's endless persistence." He withdrew his hand and pondered for a moment. "Very well..."

Hearing this, Fang Da'ao thought his uncle-master was disappointed and was about to say more. But Chen Qing spread his sleeve, and a blank scroll in the distance flew through the air, hovering before him.

"Watch closely."

He joined his fingers like a brush. Five Elements Spiritual Light swirled, manifesting colors. With a point in the air, ink flowed from his fingertip and spread across the pure white paper.

His first stroke brought the mountain's outline into view, its peaks like swords pointing straight at the firmament.

His second stroke sketched out the rock formations. Between the sheer cliffs, waterfalls and springs seemed to appear, the faint sound of water tinkling in the air.

His third stroke added color and detail. Clouds arose on their own, winding around the summit in wisps, like immortal sashes fluttering in the wind.

As he finished the final stroke, the whole mountain suddenly glimmered with a faint, pure light.

The spiritual energy within the mountain gate began to flow, transforming into strands of mist that wound around the scroll.

The mountain in the painting seemed ever more solitary and transcendent, as though it would burst right through the paper!

Fang Da'ao and Qu Xiaoyao stared with their eyes wide, their mouths unconsciously hanging open.

"Uncle-Master, this..." Fang Da'ao's face was full of shock. "Could this be an immortal's technique?"

Light flickered in Qu Xiaoyao's bright almond-shaped eyes. Her little hands clutched her clothes tightly.

"Clatter—"

A faint sound came from the corner of the courtyard.

A Golden Silk Monkey tumbled down from the old locust tree, but seemed not to feel a thing. It scrambled to its feet, its glossy black eyes wide as saucers. Then it stood upright and repeatedly bowed to the painting, as if before a divine treasure.

"This is the Great Mountain Diagram." Chen Qing stood with his hands behind his back. "It doesn't draw on the sea's essence. It cultivates the power of the mountain alone, its essence being to stand tall between heaven and earth, unbending even in the face of breaking."

Fang Da'ao's breathing grew rapid. The solitary peak in the painting and its mountain's power were a perfect match for his nature! He immediately sat cross-legged and visualized it. The aura around him was like a sword leaving its sheath, tearing through the air with sharp hisses.

Chen Qing nodded slightly.

This was indeed the Great Mountain Diagram from the Great Mountain Heavenly Art. He had recalled and copied it with painting techniques. Though it had lost the subtlety of yin and yang in harmony, it suited Fang Da'ao's forthright nature even better.

Suddenly—

Crack!

Fang Da'ao leaped up and swung a punch. His bones rang in unison like a tiger's roar and a dragon's bellow! Warmth surged through his dantian, and his bottleneck shattered on the spot!

When he finished, his fists trembled slightly, and his eyes shone. "I did it!"

He felt his strength surge by at least thirty percent. His dantian was hot as fire, and a thread of pure inner breath had already taken shape! Unable to hide his excitement, Fang Da'ao asked, "Uncle-Master, this new diagram is truly miraculous! Did you create it on the spot?"

Chen Qing shook his head. "This method was passed down by the Restoration Patriarch. Our sect's inheritance has always taken shape according to the person."

Hearing this, Fang Da'ao unconsciously puffed out his chest, pride filling his eyes. "So that's how it is! Our sect's inheritance really is amazing! It encompasses everything!"

Chen Qing took the opportunity to say, "Take your time and comprehend it. You've completed the First Realm, but you must be even more diligent from now on. Remember, a mountain needn't be high; give it power, and it will be numinous."

"Yes!"

After Fang Da'ao left, Chen Qing stood alone in the courtyard.

The night breeze was cool. Qu Xiaoyao crouched beneath the veranda, chin resting in her hands, gazing longingly after Fang Da'ao as he departed.

Chen Qing noticed her expression and said, "Don't rush. Once your foundation is solid, you'll have a suitable cultivation method of your own. Here, your new copybook."

"I understand, Uncle-Master. I'll work even harder and try to cultivate the Restoration Patriarch's technique soon, too!" The little girl nodded hard, then turned to practice her calligraphy. Every stroke and line was more earnest than before.

Then, as though sensing something, Chen Qing looked toward the little monkey cautiously approaching in the corner. He shook his head with a laugh, but didn't chase it away.

"Everyone in this world has their own fate. This way of breaking the deadlock from my dream..."

The night breeze brushed past. He took out the jade disk and thought of what Qu Xiaoyao had just said. Suddenly, a thought stirred in his heart, and he looked up at the starry sky.

"The Restoration Patriarch..."

If the events in his dream were truly history, then the so-called "Restoration Patriarch" was none other than himself.

He was a figure who had gone from nothing to existence, from falsehood to truth.

"But now, that patriarch is trapped in the treasury and can't even get out, and his backer is about to fall. How could he possibly restore the sect? Hmm? What comes next..."

At that thought, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind!

"That's it!"

He paced beneath the ancient pine in the courtyard.

"I've been searching everywhere for a way to break the deadlock, but I forgot the root of it all! Whether Chen Xu truly exists or was created by the Grand Void Dao Evolution Record, in the end, I'm the one who designated him as the sect's Restoration Patriarch..."

The mountain wind rose suddenly, and the pines roared like waves.

"If I can't find a sure way out, why not invent one myself?"

The moment the thought arose, his mind suddenly opened.

The update came very late today. I got home late, so please forgive me...