Dao Path Severed?

The ruins of the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm lie deep underground.

Golden light like the sea, Daoist charm like the tide.

Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of this golden sea of light. His deep blue Daoist robe was also tinged with a light gold color under the pure and vast divine light of the Dao of Wealth.

His expression was calm, his gaze fixed intently on the Imperial Weapon before him.

"The debt has been outstanding for a long time; it's time to pay today."

He murmured to himself, raised his right hand, and waved it towards the ancient golden tree.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Five beams of divine light, each a different color yet all incredibly refined and radiating immense divinity and pure faith, shot out from his sleeve! Within these beams, five illusory divine figures of varying forms could be vaguely seen.

These were the five Great True Person level deities that he had captured from the auspicious realm [Lingyong] back then!

These five deities were originally subordinate gods on his "Investiture of the Gods" list, and the source of his power.

But at that moment, without hesitation, he returned it to the "Wealth Connects to the Divine" as "property."

The five divine rays entered the trunk of the ancient golden tree without any hindrance.

The ancient tree trembled slightly, and the Dao patterns on its trunk flowed faster.

The five divine phantoms melted away the moment they entered the tree's hand, transforming into the most primordial divine power and faith. They were completely devoured and assimilated by the "Wealth Connects to the Divine," becoming part of the nourishment for this Imperial Weapon to repair and strengthen itself.

Just as the five divine rays were completely absorbed, "Poof—"

A very faint sound, like the snapping of some invisible thread, resounded deep within Qi Yun's Dao Heart.

He clearly felt that the invisible yet real the Unseen connection between himself and the "Wealth Connects to the Divine" plant before him, which had been quietly formed many years ago when he borrowed it on credit, had completely vanished with the repayment of the debt.

A faint, relieved feeling washed over me.

"As expected—" Qi Yun's eyes flickered slightly, "That loan agreement from back then was definitely not a simple verbal agreement. This connection is the evidence of the collateral."

If I intend to default on the debt, or am unable to repay it, I fear this "Wealth Connects to the Divine" will follow this connection and forcibly seize the collateral.

Having settled this long-standing debt, Qi Yun was no longer delayed.

With a thought, ripples silently spread across the void behind him, and the vast and boundless illusory image of the Great Luo Heaven, which evolves all laws, once again unfolded a corner!

A chaotic aura permeated the air, with earth, water, fire, and wind surging, making this golden space underground even more mysterious and unpredictable.

Immediately afterwards, Qi Yun reached out and probed into the depths of the unfolded Great Luo Heaven illusion, gently touching it.

"Buzz----"

A dazzling, agile golden light suddenly flew out from the depths of the Great Luo Heaven, circled once, and landed in Qi Yun's palm, transforming into a constantly pulsating golden talisman, within which a tiny, golden-robed phantom was curiously peering out.

This is none other than Cai Kun, the spirit of the "Wealth Connects to the Divine"!

Back then, the "Wealth Connects to the Divine" unexpectedly appeared in the world, attracting the attention of the True Lord. In order to avoid being captured and refined by the True Lord along with his physical body, the spirit Cai Shen decisively used a Secret Method to separate himself from the body of the Imperial Weapon. He transformed into a point of spiritual light and hid in the body of Qi Yun, who happened to be there at the time and possessed a secret. He used Qi Yun's aura and Daoist charm to conceal himself and thus escaped a calamity.

This matter was top secret, known only to Qi Yun and Cai Shen.

"Go, return it to its rightful owner."

Qi Yun spoke calmly, waving his hand again at the golden talisman in his palm.

The talisman transformed into a golden Flowing Light, heading straight for the ancient golden tree and instantly disappearing into the core of its trunk!

"Boom!!!"

The moment the spirit returned to its original form, the entire golden ancient tree trembled violently!

His entire body erupted with golden divine light, more than a hundred times stronger than before!

"Buzz"

"Clang"

"Splash!"

In the the Unseen, countless strange phenomena appeared out of nowhere, manifesting around the ancient tree!

Illusory images of mountains of gold and seas of silver floated and sank, colliding and producing a loud metallic clang.

An invisible river of fortune flows within, reflecting the rise and fall of sects, the changing of dynasties, and the rise and fall of cultivators.

Money falls like rain, each coin connected to two or more threads of destiny;

Shop silhouettes flickered in and out of the river of light, and behind the counters, blurry figures seemed to be assessing the value of everything.

Furthermore, ancient scenes unfold, depicting vast caravans traversing countless worlds and the flow of goods across the heavens, exuding an aura of immense Dao of Wealth that transcends boundaries!

The ultimate manifestation of the ways of money and commerce!

The supreme aura of the [Wealth Connects to the Divine] Dao of Wealth Imperial Weapon, possessing complete perfection and unparalleled power so immense that even True Lord would take notice, has been fully revived and blossomed!

The golden light gradually receded, and the strange phenomenon slowly subsided.

Beneath the ancient golden tree, golden light gathered, and a figure slowly solidified from the ethereal.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent golden robe embroidered with ever-changing patterns of copper coins, ingots, abacus beads, and account books.

His appearance was quite ordinary, the kind that you wouldn't notice if you threw him into a crowd. But his eyes shone brightly when they opened and closed, as if they could instantly see through people's measuring and desire for "value".

It was none other than the spirit of the artifact, Cai Kun!

"You brat Qi—" Cai Shen stretched his newly formed spiritual body, his face first showing genuine joy.

Once the spirit leaves the body, it is like a wandering ghost; though protected by Qi Yun, it is ultimately a rootless duckweed.

Now, having returned to its original form, with spirit and body united, the Imperial Weapon is complete.

This sense of groundedness and power almost made him want to let out a long roar.

But after the joy, a lingering worry immediately arose in my heart.

The reason he wanted to separate and escape in the first place was precisely because he was afraid of falling into the hands of "bad guys," wasn't it?

His strength has not yet recovered; to rashly merge them would be futile.

Before he could voice his concerns, his gaze met Qi Yun's calm and composed eyes.

Qi Yun remained standing with his hands behind his back, his posture as upright as a pine tree. Even standing before the fully revived Imperial Weapon, facing its majestic aura, he remained calm and composed.

Looking into those eyes, one can sense the aloofness emanating from Qi Yun, a quality that, though restrained, remains unparalleled.

Cai Kun was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

The worry on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by relief and emotion.

"Hehe--I almost forgot." Cai Shen patted his forehead, looking Qi Yun up and down with a complicated tone.

"A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days' absence."

No, you've done more than just impress me—that little guy who used to need to buy things from me on credit, now—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the ruins of the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm, as if piercing through the earth to see the world where the balance of power between good and evil had been reversed by a single person. His tone carried undisguised admiration and a hint of awe. "Without the True Lord's intervention, this Great Xuan —you are the heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun simply smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and then said, "Since you have returned to your position, Imperial Weapon is complete, congratulations!"

"I do have a matter I would like to ask for your assistance with, senior."

"Speak, Qi boy," Cai Shen said readily. He stretched lazily, his golden robe Flowing Light. Then, with a thought, he gathered the ancient golden tree, which was still radiating a magnificent aura, into the depths of his spiritual body, leaving only a faint aura of Dao of Wealth permeating the air.

He rubbed his hands together, revealing a shrewd smile like a businessman, but his eyes were honest. "Between you and me, we can't say we've been through thick and thin together, and we've helped each other."

Today you helped me return to my rightful place and settle the karmic debt; I am indebted to you.

If there's anything I can do for you, please speak up. As long as it doesn't violate my fundamental principles, I will never refuse to help.

Qi Yun nodded and stated his purpose directly. "I would like to ask you, senior, to help me find the whereabouts of the last Supreme Dao Foundation."

"Supreme Dao Foundation?" Upon hearing this, Cai Kun's golden robe pattern gleamed slightly, and his eyes shone even brighter.

"Not bad." Qi Yun nodded. "I have found the remaining eight Dao Foundation, only one left."

Previously, I tried to deduce the secrets of heaven using my own Dao Foundation, but to no avail.

This item appears to have been hidden by someone with extraordinary Divine Ability.

The elder statesman, who was in charge of the Dao of Wealth, believed that everything has a price and that cause and effect can be traced; perhaps he could glimpse a clue to this truth.

I guessed it was about this.

Cai Shen was not surprised. Qi Yun's current level of strength, the only thing that could make him so earnestly seek help from him was something of such great importance, concerning the very foundation of his Dao Path.

"Wait here, I'll find it for you right away."

"Thank you for your trouble, senior." Qi Yun bowed.

Cai Kun said no more, his expression turned solemn, and he slowly closed his eyes.

His golden robes fluttered and rustled even without wind, and the phantom of the towering golden tree behind him reappeared.

But it is more solid than before, and its Daoist charm is more profound.

On the ancient tree, millions of golden leaves trembled in unison, each leaf's veins lighting up and projecting countless subtle Flowing Light that conveyed the Daoist meaning of "value," "clues," and "secrets."

At this moment, Cai Shen, with the power of the Imperial Weapon, forcibly probed the deep secrets of Xuanhuang and even the myriad realms.

The scenery is mysterious and vast, and the Daoist spirit is powerful and profound.

It's enough to dazzle any Great True Person.

Qi Yun stood Qi Yun to the side, his gaze focused, waiting patiently.

As time passed, the strange phenomenon behind Cai Kun reached its peak, and the branches of the ancient golden tree spread out to become increasingly vast and expansive.

After a while.

All the strange phenomena behind Cai Kun suddenly vanished!

He suddenly opened his eyes, the golden light still lingering, a hint of surprise in them.

"Hidden so well?"

Cai Shen's voice was grave as he looked at Qi Yun, his brows furrowed.

"Using the power of the Imperial Weapon, I traversed all causal lines, value flows, and historical traces related to the Supreme Dao Foundation ----"

The feedback was either blank or brutally cut off by some higher-level force!

It seems that a top-tier expert deliberately concealed this Dao Foundation.

Seeing Cai Shen's reaction, Qi Yun's heart sank slightly, but he still asked, "Even you, senior, have no clue?"

Cai Kun slowly shook his head and sighed, "My title is Tong Shen, not Tong Tian."

"In my opinion, the one who hid this last Supreme Dao Foundation was no ordinary True Lord."

Their methods involve tampering with fundamental cause and effect and obfuscating relevant heavenly secrets; they are at least at the level of True Lord of the Middle Realm or higher.

Unexpectedly, even the complete Wealth Connects to the Divine could not be found with any definite clues, and Qi Yun's brows furrowed deeply involuntarily.

True Lord middle level or above)?

Such an opponent would have been extremely difficult for him to contend with head-on, even with the blessing of the Immortal Execution Immortal-Slaying Dao Fruit.

Was his Supreme Dao Path about to be severed just like that?

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Seeing Qi Yun frowning and deep in thought, Cai Shen suddenly spoke up again, "My skills are too varied, and divination is not my forte."

If we can find my third brother, he will be in charge of divination and fortune-telling. Even if the Great Perfection True Lord were to intervene, he would not be able to hide anything from him. There are no secrets in the world before him.

"Senior means—" Qi Yun's eyes narrowed.

"The third-ranked Imperial Weapon of the Tang Dynasty, and one of only two Imperial Weapons to possess a title from the Tang Dynasty!"

"Duke of Xuan - Luo Hetu!"