454: The First Ancestor's Heavenly Calculations! The Old Geezer Gets the Second Hall of Lifespan
The great battle has ended, and it seems there are no winners.
A celestial Heavenly Prison resembling blood-red amber was surrounded by layers of tribulation power. Within the Heavenly Prison, which was formed by the Heavenly Dao Power, it was as if it were a vast world.
In this vast world, everything was frozen in place, firmly imprisoned by the boundless and mad will of Heavenly Dao, with no way to escape.
Even a powerful being like the Dao-Merging Devil Venerable Moluo, suffered a tragic end after the mad Heavenly Dao went completely berserk, with his demonic body destroyed, his Great Dao shattered, and his Primordial Spirit power imprisoned.
Its Primordial Spirit power will also be gradually assimilated and devoured as the mad Heavenly Dao purifies itself, becoming part of the Heavenly Dao's nourishment.
This can be described as a single misstep leading to total defeat; human calculations are ultimately no match for divine intervention.
If even the Demon Lord is in such a predicament, then the situation is even more dire for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Chen Dengming.
Although his Nascent Soul Divine Soul was in the Human God Hall, he still felt that his strength was constantly being drained away.
It's likely that Mo Luo can hold out in this Heavenly Prison for a long time, but Chen Dengming won't last long before he's assimilated by the Heavenly Dao, and even his proficiency in the <Heavenly Immortal Art> is already declining.
Chen Dengming naturally also noticed this crisis.
But he had no idea where he was now.
At this moment, even the Human God Hall where he was located dimmed, and its power gradually dissipated.
The Phoenix Dao Fire outside the Human God Hall also lost its terrifyingly high temperature, and the heat gradually cooled down as the flames shrank.
However, the existence of this Phoenix Dao Fire has now become the best moat for Chen Dengming.
Without this moat and the Human God Hall, he would probably be in a miserable state on the verge of his Nascent Soul Divine Soul dissipating.
"Luckily, I had the giant deer take the Soul House and Storage Bag with me in time. Otherwise, the Little Array Spirit would have been in this dangerous situation with me."
Chen Dengming felt the speed at which his strength was draining away, and tried to find some humor in his misery.
Even though he was at a critical juncture of life and death, with his strength constantly draining away, like a countdown to death, he was still able to maintain a calm State of Mind and contemplate, demonstrating an extremely high level of the Spiritual Realm.
"The most urgent task is to try and see if we can save ourselves."
Chen Dengming did not give up, but he had already prepared for the worst possible outcome.
He first attempted to enter the State of Mind to make contact with the Human Heart Hall.
As his Human Immortal Way Power waned, he quickly sensed the existence of the Human Heart Hall, as if he could enter Human Heart Hall at any moment.
However, at the same time, he also keenly sensed the unusual movement of the Immortal Celestial Dao Power.
An intense sense of threat and oppression arose from within my heart.
The outermost Phoenix Dao Fire also began to fluctuate.
Chen Dengming immediately withdrew from the State of Mind and stopped using the Seven Absolute Realms of Human Immortal Way Power, without acting rashly.
He was very wise; he had already analyzed that the environment they were in was very special.
The mad Heavenly Dao has become indiscriminate in its dealings with both friend and foe, even devouring and assimilating the power of its inheritor.
In this situation, he is like a small insect trapped in a spider web; any movement will only cause the web to tighten further, hastening his demise.
He had originally planned that if he couldn't use the power of the Human Heart Hall to contact the outside world, he could at Dongfang Huayuan through the Human God Hall.
But now it seems that this plan is also not going to work.
"Senior Dongfang's avatar perished while trying to save my Nascent Soul Divine Soul; otherwise, we might still be able to devise a solution."
Fortunately, Chen Dengming also possesses the Heavenly Dao Power, which he can activate and unleash.
This shared power is unlikely to provoke the madness of the Heavenly Dao's will; at most, it will be assimilated.
Chen Dengming attempted to use the Heavenly Dao Power to activate his Heavenly Eye, carefully observing the scene outside the Human God Hall.
This observation revealed only a desolate red world, covered by streaks of scarlet lightning falling like a torrential downpour.
A silent, empty, and frantically oppressive atmosphere permeated every corner, sending chills down one's spine.
In the far distance, a huge Black Lotus Platform was almost completely engulfed by blood-red lightning. Countless scarlet lightning bolts, like shackles, tightly bound the Black Lotus Platform, a shocking sight.
Before Chen Dengming could observe for long, he felt the 'Heavenly Eye' structure rapidly disintegrate.
This means his Immortal Celestial Dao Power was assimilated and devoured.
He used his Heavenly Eye with the Immortal Celestial Dao Power, which, while not provoking the will of the mad Heavenly Dao, still resulted in his power being rapidly assimilated and devoured.
The situation wasn't much better for Mo Luo on the other side.
Even though it had absorbed a lot of Immortal Celestial Dao Power and was protected by the Heavenly Fortune Hong Lotus, it could still simulate Immortal Celestial Dao Power with the power of Devilish Immortal Way.
However, once the spell is cast, the power will be quickly assimilated and absorbed, and nothing will happen.
"Where exactly is this place? Could it still be within the Immortal King's Mansion? But that doesn't seem quite right. Could it be that the Immortal King's Mansion has been razed to the ground? And where are Senior Qu and the First Ancestor now?"
Chen Dengming was completely baffled and could only rely on his instincts to decide that he could not leave the Human God Hall for the time being.
Once he gets out, even if his Nascent Soul Divine Soul isn't quickly 'drained,' he'll likely be burned to ashes by the Phoenix Dao Fire surrounding the Human God Hall and the Human Heart Hall.
But simply waiting like this isn't a solution; it's just sitting and waiting to die.
"I'm completely trapped now. With my current strength, there are probably only two ways to escape from here."
"One risk is provoking the madness of the Heavenly Dao by invoking the Heaven's Will to contact the First Ancestor and Senior Qu for help in escaping the predicament, but such provocation may still be within a certain safe range."
"Secondly, risking an even more thrilling and insane Heavenly Dao, in a state of State of Mind, I will mobilize the power of the Human Heart Hall to contact the Incense Clone, instructing it to quickly locate the Giant Deer, retrieve the Shore Flower, and use Shore Flower to rescue me from my predicament."
Thinking about this, Chen Dengming looked at his chubby Nascent Soul body, sighed, and shook his head.
In this situation, it was difficult for him to communicate with the Incense Clone through spiritual imprints.
To contact the Incense Clone, one must strengthen the spiritual connection through the Human Heart Hall.
However, the second method is too dangerous. It is very likely that as soon as he mobilizes the power of the Human Heart Hall, the mad will of Heavenly Dao will be further stimulated.
After all, there was a seemingly intense competition between ancient immortals and celestial immortals.
He didn't want to try it unless absolutely necessary.
"Let's try using the Immortal Celestial Dao Power of Heaven's Will Immortal to mobilize the will of Heaven first."
After careful consideration, Chen Dengming made a decision. Even though it was a life-or-death crisis where his strength was dwindling every second, he calmly planned and proceeded step by step.
The next instant.
His eyes focused on azure Immortal Celestial Dao Power, and his Spiritual Realm rapidly approached the Heavenly Heart Realm.
My heart is like the heart of heaven, my will is like the Heaven's Will.
A surge of intense, violent, and insane emotion suddenly arose within him, nearly causing Chen Dengming to lose his composure and descend into madness in an instant.
Fortunately, he was prepared. The moment the madness erupted from his heart, he used his strong mental control to guard his true self, so that he was not assimilated by the madness of 'Heavenly Heart' at the first moment.
Only by getting close to the will of Heaven can one Heaven's Will and mobilize its Heaven's Will.
But this first step is actually an extremely dangerous one for any other inheritor of the Heavenly Immortal Way.
Because at this moment, Tianxin is in a state of madness.
Getting close to Tianxin at this moment, one's mental defenses are easily broken down by Tianxin's madness, and one's own mind goes completely insane.
However, this incredibly dangerous step was actually relatively controllable for Chen Dengming, who was also a successor of the immortal's spiritual lineage.
Although it is still as dangerous as walking a tightrope on a cliff, it is not entirely without certainty or opportunity.
At this moment, Chen Dengming's mind felt as if it were in the eye of a raging tornado.
Despite being surrounded by raging, violent forces capable of tearing a person to pieces, he remained calm, carefree, and steadfast in his principles.
This serendipitous encounter, where he was simultaneously in the Heavenly Heart Realm yet maintaining the integrity of his human heart, led him to a remarkably subtle State of Mind —the stage where Heavenly Heart is My Heart, My Heart is the True Heart.
At this stage, to truly take the initiative, one must replace the will of Heaven with one's own heart, but without being enslaved by the will of Heaven.
Throughout the thousands of years of the Longevity Sect, only the Longevity Dao Lord Lu Xiucheng has reached this realm. Therefore, he was able to maintain a moment of clarity when he was immersed in the Heavenly Dao Blood and came into contact with the will of the Mad Heavenly Dao.
This state of being is even more difficult to describe; it can only be achieved through personal enlightenment, an understanding of the will of Heaven, and a steadfast and clear-headed approach to oneself—all three are indispensable.
Chen Dengming's adherence to his original aspirations has been unwavering from beginning to end.
At this moment, he was not assimilated or enslaved by the onslaught of the mad Heavenly Dao's will.
He even gradually influenced the madness of Heaven's Will with his own will, and through careful analysis, he found some aspects of Heaven's Will that could be controlled.
His consciousness immediately used this part of the Heaven's Will to surge out, making the Heaven's Will follow his will, and seeing through the truth of the place where he was at this moment.
In an instant, his consciousness was drawn out of the Phoenix Dao Fire and out of the Heavenly Prison, allowing him to see the situation outside clearly.
"Is this... still inside the Immortal King's Mansion?"
Chen Dengming's consciousness was attached to the Heaven's Will. He observed the Heavenly Prison, which resembled a giant piece of blood-red amber, and saw the scene inside. He suddenly had an epiphany.
"It seems that both the Demon Lord and I are trapped inside. What exactly is this?"
He continued to manipulate the Heaven's Will, passing through layers of calamity that he felt were extremely threatening, and soon felt an attraction coming from ahead.
Amidst the swirling clouds ahead, a magnificent palace stood prominently— the Heavenly Fortune Hall.
"Um?"
Qu Shenzong, who was inside the Heavenly Fortune Hall, suddenly opened his eyes, his expression showing surprise.
"Heaven's Will?"
He was startled at first, subconsciously thinking that the mad Heavenly Dao Will was about to go berserk again, but the next moment he realized something was wrong.
"Senior Qu"
The Heaven's Will swept into the Heavenly Fortune Hall, and the consciousness it conveyed felt familiar.
"It's you? Nephew Disciple Chen?"
Qu Shenzong stood up in astonishment, noticing a divine will mixed with a slight Heaven's Will of madness appearing above his head.
This mad Heaven's Will was imperceptible, for it was too faint to manifest as crimson lightning.
However, the Dao Intent attached to it is undoubtedly Chen Dengming.
"It's me, Senior Qu. This is Heavenly Fortune Hall? This palace is indeed within the Immortal King's Mansion."
When Chen Dengming consciously observed Qu Shenzong, he breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that there was hope.
However, he did not see the figure of the First Ancestor Lu Xiucheng, nor could he sense his aura. He still felt something was wrong and immediately asked.
Qu Shenzong sighed and pondered, "Nephew Disciple Chen, please calm down. I shouldn't be telling you this now, but with your intelligence, you must have already guessed it."
"Your First Ancestor Longevity Dao Lord, my old friend, has already sacrificed himself."
Chen Dengming was shocked. Although he had a vague sense of foreboding and guessed that this would be the outcome, he was still greatly disturbed and almost lost his composure.
Qu Shenzong sighed and recounted his previous experiences, as well as the many plans that Lu Xiucheng and he had already made.
In conclusion, Qu Shenzong remarked with emotion, "Your ancestor was most adept at interpreting the Heaven's Will."
I consulted a divination before the plan was implemented.
As the saying goes, Heaven cherishes life and will always leave a glimmer of hope for Life Force.
He calculated that this Life Force of Heaven's Will lay among the descendants of the Longevity Sect.
At the time, neither he nor I understood this divination. We were unclear about what help our descendants could offer when we were fighting against such a powerful figure as Devil Venerable Moluo.
However, we still follow the divination and make preparations in advance. We not only handle the future succession of the two sects' descendants, but also squeeze out resources to cultivate you, Su Yan Yan, Xuan Chenxiao, and Qiao Zhaoxian.
However, compared to the two of you, the potential shown by Xuan Chenxiao and Qiao Zhaoxian is considerably less."
Chen Dengming suddenly realized why the First Ancestor and the Qu Shenzong had squeezed out the Heavenly Timing moment to cultivate him and Su Yan Yan.
At the time, he thought that they were the ones who needed to resist the many Evil Cultivator brought in by the Outer Realm Devil Venerable.
It seems that dealing with Evil Cultivator is only one aspect of the overall strategy.
Qu Shenzong continued, "Later, you proposed to gather more people to enter the Shattered Heavenly Immortal Realm, and your ancestor and I agreed to this."
However, both your ancestor and I place our hopes on you and Nephew Disciple Su being able to break through to the Spirit Transformation in the Shattered Heavenly Immortal Realm.
Unfortunately, none of you can break through to the Spirit Transformation in a short time; we see no hope of improvement in you.
"Until you unexpectedly discovered that the Buddha Guai had planted a seed of Dao power deep within your heart, and Dongfang Huayuan thus brought the Human God Hall into the fray, your ancestor and I saw some turning point again, but this turning point was still not obvious."
Chen Dengming fell silent for a moment, recalling how the seed of Buddha Guai's Dao power had once erupted, only to be suppressed by Dongfang Huayuan with the help of the power of the Human God Hall.
Later, Dongfang Huayuan even used the power of the Human God Hall to save his Nascent Soul Divine Soul.
He immediately informed Qu Shenzong of the situation.
Qu Shenzong said, "I had roughly guessed what you were talking about before."
Your ancestor was truly a master strategist; he foresaw the possibility of Life Force in this plan, and you are a glimmer of Life Force in the face of adversity.
"You disrupted the Buddha Guai's plan at a crucial moment, accelerating the Demon Lord's retreat. Furthermore, you affected the order in which the extraterrestrial Phoenix Cry Dao Venerable attacked, causing a slight delay in her actions."
Qu Shenzong frowned and pondered, "At that time, I felt a strong sense of life and death crisis. The Heavenly Dao Arm that your First Ancestor guided and condensed would have a hard time resisting the power of the Dao Venerable."
Ultimately, it is highly likely that the Outer Realm Devil Venerable will be rescued.
But after you delayed Phoenix Cry Dao Venerable's attack, the Heavenly Dao suddenly awakened most of its will, seemingly stimulated by an even greater force, which allowed it to repel, and possibly even injure, Phoenix Cry Dao Venerable.
Chen Dengming's heart tightened. "Does Senior mean that another expert might have intervened at that time, provoking the Heavenly Dao?"
Qu Shenzong shook his head, "I can't be sure either. Perhaps it was a backup plan of your family's first ancestor."
Longevity Dao Lord once witnessed immortals playing chess, observing the chessboard of heaven and earth. His ability in strategic planning has always been flawless, with countless possible moves ahead.
If it weren't for his backup plan, the expert who provoked the Heavenly Dao must have come from beyond the realms, not from within the Four Seas Four Regions.
Qu Shenzong paused, then said solemnly, "Let's put these past events aside for now."
Let me first tell you about your situation. You are in a very bad situation right now. As the Heavenly Dao purifies itself, you will soon be purified and assimilated into the power of the Heavenly Dao.
I never imagined you could manipulate the madness of the Heavenly Dao, allowing your consciousness to escape the Heavenly Prison, but this is still not enough to free you."
"Does the senior have any good advice to offer?"
Suddenly, the illusory images of the Heavenly Longevity Palace and the Heavenly Mandate Palace appeared in Qu Shenzong's eyes.
A magnificent aura emanated from its eyes, a deep blue and serene, filled with a chilling pressure.
"Now there are only two options."
First, wait. Once the madness of the Heavenly Dao subsides, you can escape using the pure Heavenly Dao Power.
But this path, the imprisoned Demon Lord, with his immense power, might be able to wait, but you cannot.
The second path: I will now bestow upon you the Heavenly Longevity Palace and the Heavenly Mandate Palace. You will bring your consciousness into the Heavenly Prison and must take control of these two palaces as quickly as possible.
Then, with the protection of these two palaces, they escaped from the Heavenly Prison!
Chen Dengming felt a slight tremor in his heart. He couldn't help but look at Qu Shenzong's majestic square face and the two halls reflected in his eyes, feeling immense trust.
However, this move by the other party was a risky one.
If he fails to quickly gain control of the two palaces, he may be assimilated by the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Longevity and Heavenly Mandate Palaces may be reclaimed by the Heavenly Dao, or even obtained by a Demon Lord who dies after him. All of these are possible.
"Thank you for your trust, senior, but this is too risky for me."
Chen Dengming was about to refuse when Qu Shenzong abruptly interrupted him.
"You don't need to worry too much. I'm risking my life to bestow these two palaces upon you, but I also believe in your ability to do it, because you are the Life Force of hope that Fellow Daoist Lu has foreseen."
However, I want you not only to escape, but also, ideally, to use the two palaces to emulate your ancestor, mobilize the Heaven's Will, and completely kill that demon, imprisoning him in the Heavenly Prison forever, so that he may be assimilated by the Heavenly Dao."
Chen Dengming immediately understood that this trust also contained a sense of responsibility and commitment.
This is not just a complete adventure, it's a final, decisive end.
The Devil Venerable Moluo immortal, Four Seas Four Regions will never be at peace.
The reason why Qu Shenzong dared to trust him and entrust him with the two halls of lifespan was because he could do the same as the First Ancestor: not only did he not lose his way in the midst of the mad will of Heavenly Dao, but he could also mobilize a trace of Heaven's Will.
If they didn't have this ability, the other party wouldn't have brought it up.
Without further hesitation, he solemnly accepted the mission in this critical moment.
The things that the First Ancestor Longevity Dao Lord, did not complete.
It will be left to him, the descendant Longevity Sect Leader, who has a sliver of hope for Life Force, to complete this task.
"By the mandate of Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous! In accordance with the will of Heaven, Great Fortune Reaching the Heavens!"
Qu Shenzong's imposing eyes suddenly shot out two magnificent illusory palaces, heading straight for Chen Dengming's consciousness.
"Chen Dengming, receive the Heavenly Longevity Hall and the Heavenly Destiny Hall!"
(5K votes needed for monthly tickets)