Chapter 268: Dongming

Chapter 268 -257: Dongming

The sudden turn of events sent a jolt through Chen Qingyang.

‘I really can’t figure out how I was discovered hiding in here. If the True Monarch could have detected activity inside this Copper Mirror all along, he wouldn’t have waited until now, would he?’

Therefore, the Conscious Fish remained perfectly still.

Frowning slightly, the youth lingered for another moment. “If you don’t come out, I won’t be so courteous. I already know who you are!”

That single sentence almost made Chen Qingyang laugh.

‘Who would have thought that a dignified Golden Core True Monarch would resort to such a childish bluff? It was obvious he wasn’t sure either and was just talking big.’

The youth stood there thinking for a moment. Perhaps concluding he had been overthinking it, he vanished in a flash.

But after that display, how could Chen Qingyang possibly dare to go out? Better safe than sorry. He decided to leave the Conscious Fish here and return his consciousness to his body.

[Great Soul Scripture (Volume Three): (0/60000)]

At this moment, every word of Volume Three was etched into his mind. Looking at the small golden characters again, the progress cap had changed to sixty thousand. Compared to last time, this was a massive change. Perhaps starting from Volume Three, the Great Soul Scripture would be able to enter a whole new realm.

He had also clearly overheard from the Golden Core True Monarch just now that the origin of this technique was indeed the Ancient Divine Court, specifically a place called the South Radiance Profound Dome Upper Pure Taiyin Palace.

It was because this Divine Court Taiyin Palace was mostly scattered and lost in the Cyan Nether State that Chen Qingyang was able to obtain its Dharma Gate.

Yin and Yang transform into the Five Elements, and the Five Elements give birth to all things. This was the beginning of heaven and earth, the genesis of all creation. It also represented life and death, arguably the most fundamental power in existence.

‘Back then, the Ancient Divine Court must have relied on mastering these principles to rule the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. Following that logic, the Great Soul Scripture still has a long way to go. In fact, it has only just begun.’

‘After all, the scene described in Volume One—of manifesting thousands of Divine Souls, achieving immortality and indestructibility—was incredibly profound. I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.’

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 3566]

He had taken a little more from Zeng Xiancheng last time, leaving him with 3,566. Chen Qingyang took out three thousand and used them all on the Great Soul Scripture.

In an instant, his Divine Soul entered an extremely profound and mysterious state. Within this state, everything he perceived began to change.

More detailed, faster, and also slower… He could see many details that were previously invisible to him with much greater clarity.

Guided by this subtle power, he became keenly aware of the overflow of his own True Essence Qi Mechanism. He could even use this power to readjust his Qi Mechanism until it was completely hidden.

Masters and True Monarchs have high cultivation levels and powerful Divine Souls, so their ability for Observing the Subtle far surpasses that of ordinary people. This is how they can perceive the subtle changes in a person and see through to the depths of their cultivation.

What Chen Qingyang needed was to use this ability of Observing the Subtle to control his own projected Qi Mechanism. That way, even as his cultivation increased, he could maintain his Qi Mechanism at a relatively low level.

Then, an identical scene appeared in his mind.

In a sea of darkness, a brocade carp leaped as if surfacing into the morning dawn. Its two long Dragon Beards flowed, and its body glowed with a fiery light.

Light and shadow flickered, and Yu’Er became transparent again.

A much clearer network of Meridians could be seen operating within its body. They varied in thickness, some deep within, others near the surface, all interwoven, yet the qi flowed through them without interference.

In the area of its abdomen, a cloud of fire was coalescing, like a person’s Dantian, and it was in the process of forming a Golden Core.

Just as Chen Qingyang had expected, it had become capable of cultivating on its own. Last time, it could only absorb some of the Five Elements Fire on its own, but now, even without relying on the Five Elements Fire, it could absorb Spiritual Qi from the void and circulate it.

As its cultivation rose, the Conscious Fish was no longer constrained by Chen Qingyang; its potential could even far surpass his own.

As the saying goes, “Life comes from Yin, and to Yin it returns in death.” This was the Taiyin Technique, and it was giving birth to a supreme life form in this world.

Fire, in turn, is the epitome of Yang. Thus, by a stroke of serendipity, a scene of Yin and Yang intermingling had been created.

When he tried to conceal its Qi Mechanism again, Yu’Er’s presence could become extremely faint, almost undetectable. But Chen Qingyang still didn’t dare to test the Golden Core True Monarch. Although a day had passed, there was no guarantee that the True Monarch wasn’t still waiting for him outside.

‘Forget it. I would rather let Yu’Er be stuck here for a year than risk exposing it. At least it’s safe here. If it can absorb some Spiritual Qi, I can just treat it as a period of seclusion.’

Unfortunately, this place was filled with nothing but an endless, grim killing intent, perhaps left behind by the ones who destroyed the Ancient Divine Court in the past!

He controlled the Conscious Fish to wander around the area for a while longer. The world inside was vast, but large parts of it were shrouded in darkness. ‘I wonder if I can find any other treasures here.’

Chen Qingyang paid it no more mind and let his consciousness return to his body. When he opened his eyes again, it was the middle of the night.

A light rain pattered ceaselessly on the roof, and a clamor could be heard from outside.

“Senior Brother, are you finished?”

Chen Qingyang asked, “How long was I in seclusion?”

Xu Baoling walked over softly. “Today is the seventh day. It’s a good thing to be able to enter meditation for so long. It means your cultivation is about to break through.”

‘Seven days. I didn’t expect it to be this long.’

It seemed the evolution of the Conscious Fish during its breakthrough had taken up most of the time.

“Nothing strange happened with my body, did it?”

Xu Baoling shook her head. “No, there were only some faint fluctuations in your Qi Mechanism.”

“Good.”

Chen Qingyang shifted his gaze to Xu Baoling. As expected, his perception of another’s Qi Mechanism had become extremely sharp; he could now see Xu Baoling’s cultivation level much more clearly.