Chapter 190: Taiyi Divine Restriction

"My true name is Situ Kong; the world knows me as Perfected Jinli, or Dao Lord One Sword," the phantom said, his voice flat as he tilted his head slightly. "When I left Ember Sword Peak, I laid down a restriction forbidding anyone from setting foot here. Since you have made it this far, it means I ultimately failed to take that final step."

His tone was calm and devoid of regret, as if he had long expected this outcome.

"Since you reached this place, you likely carry my legacy. I placed a restriction on the jade pendant; if you hold an Ember Moon Sword, you will be guided here. You should have seen that divine restriction on your way in. That was my final arrangement."

The phantom paused, as if weighing how to condense a long story. "As for where that divine restriction came from, it is a long tale, and there is not enough time to explain. I can only tell you this: keep heading north to the Ancient Battlefield. You might find what you are looking for there."

As he spoke, he quickly sketched out a rough map and route, as if afraid his successor would have nowhere to find their footing in that perilous land.

Jiuyou remained silent, memorizing the information piece by piece.

Perfected Jinli then shared a few insights into the Sword Dao. He spoke briefly, but every word struck at the most vital points. After this guidance, Jiuyou could feel the bottleneck in his own understanding of the Sword Dao loosen slightly.

Finally, as if having said everything he needed to say, the phantom gazed into the distance. His tone carried a calmness settled over a millennium. "I have been obsessed with the Sword Dao my entire life. I took no disciples and left no descendants, and I cannot say I have regrets. My legacy is left here; your arrival is our karmic tie. I have gone to that Ancient Battlefield. If I return alive, perhaps I can take one last look at this mountain. If I do not, then that is my own path."

He looked in Jiuyou's direction, as if entrusting him with something across the years. "If the Daoyang Sect is still around, take a few extra looks at it for me."

With those words, the phantom lingered no longer. He slowly turned around, the corners of his robes fluttering as if caught by a breeze, and dissolved into motes of golden light that slowly faded away.

From the void, his untrammeled chant echoed out: "With a single sword I cross ten thousand peaks, enduring wind and snow with an easy grace. I seek not eternal life, but to strike the gates, to break heaven and earth and behold their true face. If I reach the place of no return, then let me be an old pine on a barren mound. Hahahaha!"

Jiuyou watched the phantom dissipate into the void, in no rush to step forward.

He had witnessed far too many partings of life and death, and was long past the point of being moved by such scenes. He simply waited for that final wisp of afterglow to fade completely before slowly walking over. Reaching out, he picked up the jade pendant, gently brushing his thumb across its smooth surface before closing his palm around it.

According to what Perfected Jinli had said, this divine restriction was called the Taiyi Divine Restriction. This jade pendant was the array disk for the entire grand formation. The moment he dripped a drop of blood essence onto it, he would be completely bound to the divine restriction. Unless it ended in his body perishing and Dao vanishing, the bond could never be undone.

If a cultivator at the Nascent Soul Stage controlled this restriction, they would be practically invincible among their peers. If a Nascent Soul Late Stage cultivator controlled it, they could even hold their ground against a Deity Transformation Cultivator for a time. Fighting across major realms—this was something he had never even dared to imagine before.

However, he was in no rush to drip his blood and claim ownership.

Jiuyou gripped the jade pendant, standing in the hidden chamber for a moment, as though weighing a piece of merchandise that seemed a little too flawless.

Though Perfected Jinli's words had been sincere, the phrase "completely bound" caught his attention. Just how bound? If dripping his blood trapped him within the divine restriction, unable to ever leave this place, how would he be any different from an "array spirit"? To possess immense power only to be entombed underground forever was something he absolutely could not accept.

Even if it was only a possibility, it was a gamble he refused to take.

He tucked the jade pendant into his sleeve without a second glance. The hidden chamber gradually settled back into silence. Only the residual waves of heat radiating from the freshly carved stone walls served as a reminder of what had just transpired.

He turned and walked back the way he had come, his pace steady, as if he had already shelved the dilemma precisely where it belonged.

As for the Taiyi Divine Restriction, he naturally had no intention of letting it slip through his fingers. But with his current insight and means, he could not immediately devise a foolproof plan. For now, he could only keep the jade pendant safe, waiting for a future opportunity to test it or find a way to circumvent the "completely bound" limitation.

In that case, he would have to make a trip to the Northern Plains Ancient Battlefield sooner or later. After all, that was where Perfected Jinli had acquired the divine restriction in the first place. He might just find a solution there.

At that thought, Jiuyou retrieved a blank scroll. While his memory was still fresh, he quickly sketched out the route map Perfected Jinli had shown him. His gaze fell upon the red circle marking the final destination—the exact spot where Perfected Jinli had encountered the divine restriction all those years ago.

As to exactly how the man had managed to "move" a divine restriction back here, Perfected Jinli had not mentioned it, and Jiuyou had no way of knowing. If he could learn that method himself, he would not have to worry about being "completely bound" at all. He could simply drip his blood, claim ownership, and take the entire array and restriction with him.

When that time came, he would be the undisputed number one cultivator beneath the Deity Transformation realm.

For now, however, it was too early to entertain such thoughts.

After all, he was never one to reach beyond his grasp. The path of cultivation had to be walked one steady step at a time.

...

Over the next few years, Jiuyou rarely stepped off Ember Sword Peak, spending most of his days in secluded cultivation. He kept a low profile and caused no stir, which greatly reassured those secretly keeping an eye on him. And he truly was in seclusion—it was a show for others, but it also bore real fruit for himself.

During this period, he also gradually pieced together the reason why the Daoyang Sect claimed to be undergoing a "revival."

As it turned out, ten thousand years ago, the Daoyang Sect had experienced a golden age. They had indeed produced a Deity Transformation Divine Lord, and their ranks boasted no fewer than a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators—over a dozen of whom were at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. At that time, they utterly dominated Southern Frost.

After that Divine Lord suffered a grievous wound and ultimately passed away, rifts gradually formed within the sect. Over a hundred Supreme Elders carved out their own factions, constantly fighting amongst themselves.

This continued until a certain Nascent Soul Late Stage Supreme fell to the demonic path in a desperate bid to reach Deity Transformation. This triggered a massive war that severely crippled the Daoyang Sect, leaving it in a state of ruin for thousands of years. On top of that, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had suddenly dwindled for unknown reasons during that era, causing a drastic decline in both the quantity and quality of Nascent Soul cultivators across all of Southern Frost. Because of this, the path to revival had been incredibly arduous.

As for that Supreme who fell to the demonic path, he went on to become the founding patriarch of what is now the number one demonic path sect in Southern Frost—the Guiming Sect. Today, the Guiming Sect was powerful enough to stand on equal footing with the Daoyang Sect.

However, that was all ancient history, and it had little to do with Jiuyou's own path.

Over the years, his Sword Intent had deepened, and his cultivation base had seen marginal improvement. He had also steadily refined the Jinli Stones he had obtained, yielding enough material to forge another twenty-one Ember Moon Swords. Including the forty-two he already possessed, and factoring in the sword array at the foot of the mountain... he did a quick calculation and formed a plan in his mind.

Wind and snow continued to howl beyond the mountain, yet he found that his days on Ember Sword Peak felt much more peaceful than before.