Chapter 132: A Glimmer of Hope

Xi Yuan was still laughing, the sound weak yet full of delight, like a dying man who had finally seen a wretch even more pathetic than himself.

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes.

No emotion showed on his increasingly handsome face. Only his eyes remained as calm as water, like two bottomless, frigid pools.

He raised his right hand, his index and middle fingers held together like a sword.

Within the Profound-Pointing Sword Furnace, the black bead on the face of the ring lit up faintly, and a streak of sword qi shot forth without a sound.

The sword qi was as fine as a strand of silk, its green-jade light flickering in and out before sinking straight into the center of Xi Yuan's brow.

Xi Yuan's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The sword qi instantly pierced through his brow, leaving a finger-thick hole.

Blood welled from the hole, trickling down the bridge of his nose and dripping onto the broken stones beneath him.

His eyes remained wide open, the glint of delight in his pupils not yet fully faded...

Xi Yuan was dead.

Chen Lingxi lowered his fingers and let out a long, heavy breath. He stood in place, Xi Yuan's final words still echoing in his mind.

"True Monarch Xi... Realm-Refining Furnace..."

The light in his eyes flickered ceaselessly.

He slowly raised his head and looked up at the heavens.

Stars hung high in the night sky above Ancestral Mountain. Their light was as gentle as water, spilling over his shoulders and onto the scabbard of the Thunder Radiance Longsword at his waist.

But as the starlight met his eyes, it seemed to change color.

It was as if an invisible giant were staring coldly down at him through the starlight, waiting to cast him and the billions of living beings in this grotto-heaven into the Realm-Refining Furnace—to refine them into world essence and forge another's Dao!

"Is there really no chance of survival?" he asked himself in a low voice, a fierce, cold light glinting in his eyes even as a wave of despair rose within him.

A Golden Core True Monarch was about to refine this world.

Such an existence commanded a Cauldron Vessel and ruled over the Queshi Stars!

The ability to refine a grotto-heaven alone showed just how terrifying such cultivation was.

And he was nothing more than a lowly Qi Circulation cultivator struggling to survive in this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven, having relied on a measure of fortune and calculation just to make it this far. Before a figure like a True Monarch, he was no more than an ant—unworthy even to look up at them, let alone contend with them.

The mountain wind swept past, stirring his black robes.

He sat there cross-legged, his breath and body completely still.

But countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

The Pool of Reincarnation, the Heaven-Facing Three Floors, the Realm-Refining Furnace, Cauldron Vessels...

Each thought was like a straw that he clutched at in turn and then released, searching for the slightest crack in this hopeless impasse.

A few breaths passed.

Chen Lingxi's gaze suddenly shifted.

He slowly lowered his head, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes.

'In this entire Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven, the most mysterious person I've encountered is actually the Credit Peddler!'

The man looked just like an ordinary traveling peddler.

Yet simply by counting on his fingers, he could lay bare the deepest secrets of a person's heart, and with a casual reach, he could produce the exact treasure they needed most... 'I don't know the Credit Peddler's cultivation level, but he is a master of deduction.'

Chen Lingxi rapidly reviewed the details of the Absolute Perception Deduction. 'During the Absolute Perception Deduction, it was only my second time meeting him, yet he saw right through something as closely guarded as my desire for the True Formulas of the Six Qi True Method. He had even prepared the jade pendant inscribed with the true formulas in advance.'

The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became.

Upon careful reflection, he had now reached the 8th Floor of Qi Circulation. The spirit pool in his sea of qi was as clear as emerald jade, three streams of precious qi circulated in tandem, and the twin mysteries of True Intent and divine might had taken initial shape. By any measure of cultivation, he was already quite extraordinary.

Yet when it came to the art of deduction, he knew nothing at all; it felt unfathomably profound and entirely out of reach.

The Six Qi True Method also described many of the profound mysteries and divine abilities of the Heaven-Facing Three Floors, and even of the Dao Foundation...

Yet it had never mentioned that anyone at the Dao Foundation could calculate the future!

Neither the Dao Foundation nor the Golden Portal could do so. As for whether a Golden Core True Monarch could, he had never seen one and had no way of knowing...

But the Credit Peddler could definitely do it!

Chen Lingxi's eyes grew even brighter!

'The Credit Peddler's divine abilities must be extremely profound and mysterious... Such a figure is definitely no ordinary cultivator.'

He took a deep breath, a spark of hope igniting in his eyes. 'If I can seek his guidance, perhaps I can find a slim chance of survival. After my two breakthroughs, the essence replenishment for my Absolute Perception is already nearing completion. Once I refine the fortune from the Host Star Stone, it will certainly be fully replenished...'

'When that time comes, I can activate the Absolute Perception Divine Ability and go find the Credit Peddler to ask him.'

The Credit Peddler had said that in this grotto-heaven, Chen Lingxi could only make one transaction with him.

'To be on the safe side, it's better to meet the Credit Peddler inside the Absolute Perception Deduction. That will be completely foolproof.'

Now that he had a plan, Chen Lingxi's mind grew much calmer.

He sat upright beneath the mountain crag, suppressing the churning thoughts in his Sea of Consciousness one by one.

'Moreover...' He suddenly thought of something else, the light in his eyes growing brighter still. 'There is still a true Cauldron Vessel opportunity in this grotto-heaven. I wonder if a chance of survival might lie within it.'

If he could seize that Cauldron Vessel before True Monarch Xi refined this world, refine it himself, and become its master, there might just be a glimmer of hope.

Before he knew it, the despair in Chen Lingxi's heart had completely subsided, and he was once again searching for a way to survive.

He had already died once in his past life. In this life, disaster had struck his family: his parents had been beheaded over a single Mirror Listening pronouncement from Imperial Consort Chun, and he himself had been reduced to an official bondservant, struggling bitterly in a reverse-facing room of the Baosu Marquis Residence for over two years.

He had endured every bit of those dark, sunless years.

Even now, upon learning that this grotto-heaven was on the verge of destruction and a billion lives were to be refined into world essence, he did not lose his composure. 'On the path of cultivation, anything is possible!'

'Two years ago, how could I ever have imagined becoming one of the immortals of legend, soaring swiftly on the clouds and even slaying the enemy I hated so deeply?'

Chen Lingxi's Dao heart gradually grew firm.

He was no longer the sort of mortal who would wallow in self-pity in desperate straits.

To him, a desperate situation was like a whetstone—it would only hone his edge even sharper.

Reaching this point in his thoughts, he stood up. His gaze fell upon Xi Yuan's corpse. Not far away, Xi Mu had already dug two deep pits.

Under Chen Lingxi's orders, Xi Mu was already lying inside one of them.

"Since I made a promise, I will naturally keep it."

Chen Lingxi abruptly swept his sleeve. Using his divine sense, he lifted Xi Yuan's corpse and dropped it into the second pit.

The two corpses lay on the cold yellow earth.

Chen Lingxi's divine sense swept out once more.

Yellow earth rained down, burying Xi Yuan's robes, burying Xi Mu's handsome face, burying the two husks that had once vied for fortune in this grotto-heaven only to perish at his hands. He leveled the soil to serve as a makeshift grave.

Having done all this, he turned around and didn't look back.

Chen Lingxi looked into the distance and noticed that the swirling clouds and mist around the edge of Ancestral Mountain had grown slightly thinner.

The layers of grayish-white mist slowly dispersed like the ebbing tide, revealing the hazy outline of the mountain forest behind them.

It seemed that simply passing through Ancestral Mountain's thinning mist would lead out of this mysterious little world and back to Yuanjiang Prefecture.

Moreover...

Chen Lingxi could keenly sense that the spiritual energy of Ancestral Mountain was gradually thinning out.

The spiritual energy, which had originally been so dense it was nearly tangible, was slowly being drawn away. The spiritual light flowing among the rocks dimmed, and the clear breath exhaled by the vegetation dissipated.

It seemed some formless power was slowly withdrawing from this place.

He focused his senses for a moment, and his expression suddenly shifted.

'There seems to be an invisible pressure in the surrounding world now.'

He began to sense it more carefully. He felt this formless pressure slowly closing in from all directions, pressing down on his shoulders and on his sea of qi.

This pressure wasn't directed at him alone; it permeated the entirety of Ancestral Mountain.

'I have already refined the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi. It seems Ancestral Mountain is now deliberately expelling outside cultivators.'

Chen Lingxi understood at once.

'If I stay on Ancestral Mountain, as this invisible pressure keeps building, my body will likely be crushed to pieces.'

'It is time to leave.'

This trip of Chen Lingxi's to Ancestral Mountain had been richly rewarding.

The first stream of Mother Qi had allowed him to step onto the 7th Floor of Qi Circulation, open his Sea of Consciousness, nurture his divine sense, and initially form his spiritual aperture.

The second stream of Mother Qi had let him cross the threshold of the 8th Floor in one fell swoop, gracing him with the dual mysteries of True Intent and divine might at the same time.

Apart from this, the Sword Edge Qi, Thunder Precious Qi, Heaven-Seizing Seal, Cloud-Soaring Technique, Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture, Longevity Bridge divine ability, as well as the many treasures he had obtained from Rong Chun, Xi Yuan, and the others—each and every one was a tremendous stroke of fortune.

He hadn't even used the Fated Star opportunity yet, and he had already ascended to the 8th Floor of Qi Circulation with the help of the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi!

His eyes burned bright. 'Once I get out, I'll find a quiet place and go into seclusion for a month or so. After I refine the Fated Star Cauldron Vessel opportunity, I wonder if I can break through to the 9th Floor of Qi Circulation.'

Thanks to that mystical Mother Qi, even though Chen Lingxi had only just stepped onto the 8th Floor of Qi Circulation, his accumulation was already remarkably deep.

The pool of spiritual liquid in his sea of qi was rich and dense; he was actually not far from reaching the completion of the 8th Floor.

'I should get out of here first.'

He delayed no longer and strode toward the thin layer of mist.

Stepping upward through the air, he was just about to pass through the thin mist at the edge of Ancestral Mountain's small world.

The mist parted of its own accord within three feet of him, opening up a clear path as though seeing him off.

But right at that moment, Chen Lingxi suddenly frowned.

He stopped in his tracks, slowly turned around, and looked in another direction, his gaze piercing through the rolling fog.

The Method of Qi Observation silently activated in his eyes as spiritual qi flowed from his sea of qi, rising through his meridians to pour into his vision.

In an instant, the world before his eyes took on a completely different appearance.

Under the Method of Qi Observation, the slowly churning mist resolved into distinct, traceable currents of air... And in the distance... there seemed to be something wondrous.

There was a sea of clouds over there as well, but it was entirely different from the thinning mists at the other edges.

It remained extremely heavy and dense, almost tangible. It stood tall like a grayish-white wall, its churning mists tightly obscuring everything behind it.

Chen Lingxi raised an eyebrow slightly.

'Hm? That's the direction Xi Yuan fled in when we were chasing him down.' A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

He had originally thought that Xi Yuan was merely fleeing in a panic after being cornered by him and Lin Suri, blindly flying in that direction in his desperation.

Yet looking at it now, while the mist across much of Ancestral Mountain was gradually thinning out, this one sea of clouds remained thick and heavy. Like an unopened door, it stood out starkly within this fading small grotto-heaven.

Chen Lingxi stared at that spot using the Method of Qi Observation. The spiritual qi circulated endlessly in his eyes, magnifying every minute change in that sea of clouds to the extreme.

Then, his expression changed once more!

He saw that amid the heavy, dense fog, a spiritual light was faintly visible.

The spiritual light was faint and elusive, like a spark buried deep in the ashes; a moment's inattention and one would miss it entirely.

But Chen Lingxi had now reached the 8th Floor of Qi Circulation. His Spiritual Aperture Aptitude had reached full maturity, and his Method of Qi Observation was bolstered by True Intent; in his hands, the present was nothing like the past. Faint as that spiritual light was, it could not escape his eyes! Looking closely, he saw that the light was not static, but slowly circulating deep within the sea of clouds, waxing and waning.

With every revolution, an extremely subtle fluctuation of spiritual energy spread out from it. The fluctuation was incredibly rhythmic, like a heartbeat or a breath, as if a living creature were lying dormant deep inside the sea of clouds!

Chen Lingxi thought for a moment. The crystalline white skiff he had obtained from Rong Chun flew out of his Vast Void Pouch. It expanded against the wind, instantly transforming into a true sky-boat over ten feet long.

Its hull was as lustrous and white as jade, with a faint, gentle spiritual light flowing along its underside as it drifted leisurely in midair.

He stepped onto the bow. At a thought from him, the sky-boat silently turned and flew toward that sea of clouds.

The closer he drew to the sea of clouds, the more clearly Chen Lingxi—through his True Intent-infused Method of Qi Observation—could see the spiritual light within growing denser and heavier.

From its initial flicker of faint radiance, the spiritual light gradually turned into a clearly visible halo.

That halo also seemed to be filled with all sorts of profound mysteries!

Profound runes flowed within it, faint echoes of the Dao drifted out from it, and an indescribable aura was slowly brewing in the depths of the halo.

'Just what is inside this sea of clouds?'

Arriving before the sea of clouds, Chen Lingxi felt more strongly than ever that some secret lay hidden within.

He stood aboard the sky-boat, his robes snapping in the wind as he peered into the churning mist, trying to see more clearly. Yet the sea of clouds was too dense; his vision could only penetrate the outermost dozen feet of the fog wall. Deeper inside lay a murky blur where nothing could be seen at all.

He remained silent for a moment, a fierce struggle waging within him...

'Should I turn back and leave, or take the risk and explore?'

If he barged in rashly, there was no telling what dangers might lurk inside.

Although he had already reached the 8th Floor of Qi Circulation and had several trump cards to rely on, he had already experienced firsthand just how strange Ancestral Mountain could be.

That tide of spiritual energy could completely blot out everyone's divine sense and perception in an instant, and the Ten Thousand Myriad Wonders Array was so intricate and exquisite that even now, just recalling it filled him with awe at its profundity!

He simply had no way of predicting what other secrets or perils lay hidden in Ancestral Mountain.

'Forget it. I shouldn't take too great a risk.'

After weighing his options for a long while, Chen Lingxi took a deep breath and finally suppressed his curiosity and the urge to explore.

He was just about to turn and leave.

But right at that moment!

As if possessing a spirit of its own, the mist of the sea of clouds suddenly parted! It was as though an invisible hand had reached out from its depths and gently brushed aside the layers of fog, opening a passageway before him.

The passage wasn't wide, just barely enough for him and the boat to pass through. The fog on both sides continued to churn but did not close back up, as if inviting him, waiting for him to step inside.

Chen Lingxi's pupils contracted slightly!

He stood on the sky-boat, looking at the passage that had suddenly appeared before him, silent for a few breaths.

'This profound place seems to be inviting me?'

He thought about it, and sensing the surging spiritual energy filling that profound place, he suddenly shook his head.

'With such vast spiritual energy, if it meant me harm, even the slightest wisp escaping would leave me utterly powerless to resist... If it wanted to harm me, there would be no need to go to such lengths.'

He hesitated no longer. At a shift of his thoughts, the sky-boat beneath his feet glided silently into the passage.

Mist flowed slowly past him as the sky-boat traveled down the passage. The fog ahead gradually thinned, then suddenly opened up into a clear expanse.

Looking past where the mist had parted, Chen Lingxi gazed into the sea of clouds.

Then, he saw it...

He saw the phantom image of a long river, flickering in and out of sight! The river didn't seem to truly exist before his eyes. Instead, it was suspended in a void deep within the sea of clouds, like an illusion projected into this small world.

It also looked like a stretch of water severed from a real great river and sealed within this sea of clouds, still flowing slowly after untold ages.

The river surged and roared through the void, every crashing wave kicking up clouds of spray. Under the starlight, the mist shimmered with a silvery-white glow, like countless tiny silver dragons dancing wildly in the emptiness.

The roar of the water shook the heavens, yet it wasn't harsh to the ear. Instead, it carried an indescribable rhythm, like a massive drum being beaten in the far distance, or an immortal plucking an ancient zither melody high among the clouds!

Mysterious!

Profound!

To Chen Lingxi, this long river felt overwhelmingly mysterious and profound!

'So it was this river inviting me?'

Mighty and sweeping as the river was, it actually felt remarkably docile to Chen Lingxi at this moment.

Specks of spiritual light began to surface from within the river. Like miniature stars, they rose from the depths of the water and hovered above the surface, slowly swirling about.

Sensing Chen Lingxi's arrival, those specks of light seemed to leap with joy.

As the lights flickered, faint, gentle ripples spread across the surface of the river toward Chen Lingxi, as if calling out to him and inviting him closer. At that, Chen Lingxi hesitated no longer.

He stepped off the sky-boat, silently activating the Cloud-Soaring Technique beneath his feet to carry him gently down onto the bank of the river.

The riverbank was a stretch of nothingness.

He walked into the sea of clouds, arrived at the edge of the bank, and looked down at the river!

Yet the next moment, surprise washed over him!

"Huh?"

Deep within the water, two whirlpools were slowly turning.

The two whirlpools were separated by a distance of roughly several zhang, one on the left and one on the right, spinning extremely slowly!

Yet deep inside, each whirlpool was like a mirror, its surface impossibly smooth and untouched by a single drop of water or speck of dust.

And within those two whirlpool mirrors...

Chen Lingxi actually saw two reflections!

The surprise on his face deepened. "Liu Changle!" Both reflections showed none other than... Liu Changle.

His close friend who had shared life and death with him, his fellow sufferer enslaved alongside him in the reverse-facing room of the Baosu Marquis Residence, the disciple of Xuanhuo Temple who had paid a night visit to the residence several months ago and vowed to exact vengeance together with him... Liu Changle!