Chapter 406: Re-entering the Venerable Dharma Seal

The tall, illusory figure nodded silently, his voice leaving no room for doubt. "This time, I need everything to be foolproof. There can be absolutely no mistakes."

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man kneeling on the ground said respectfully, "Master, please rest assured. We have made ample preparations this time. There will be absolutely no mishaps."

With that, the middle-aged man slowly rose, bowed respectfully, and prepared to leave. But he suddenly seemed to recall something. After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke up. "Master, regarding the matter of Shi Jing... was it you who sent people to take care of it?"

The tall, illusory figure's indifferent voice slowly sounded. "No. A mere Shi Jing is beneath my notice. There is something else suspicious about his death."

The middle-aged man nodded and prepared to leave.

Just then, it was the tall, illusory figure who spoke. "By the way, how is the investigation into Penglai's Celestial Mirror Order coming along?"

The middle-aged man, who was about to leave, paused. He seemed suddenly embarrassed. "My apologies, Master! We still don't have a single clue."

Suddenly, the tall, illusory figure's voice grew cold. "Then investigate! Keep investigating! You must find Penglai's Celestial Mirror Order. Without this Token, we cannot enter Penglai Immortal Island."

As he spoke, the tall, illusory figure silently looked up at the sky. "Senior Brother... oh, Senior Brother! Even in the end, you left me such a massive problem! You truly are a 'wonderful' senior brother to me!"

"Yes!"

The middle-aged man in the grand hall nodded with the utmost respect, then walked out.

「Meanwhile」

Shen Daoxing, hidden deep within Yun Meng Lake, waited for a very long time. Seeing that the lake's surface was finally still, it seemed Gu Muyun had left.

He waited a while longer just to be sure, then slowly surfaced and silently returned to his residence, where he sank comfortably into a medicinal bath.

Shen Daoxing felt an incredible sense of comfort spread through him. All of his pores seemed to open up as pleasant, warm currents surged through his body, washing away his fatigue and conditioning his physique.

All of a sudden, the Venerable Power inside Shen Daoxing's body surged, violently condensing in his right leg.

ZZZT! ZZZT!

Black arcs of electricity flashed around it.

With a loud CRACK, Shen Daoxing stomped his foot. The bathtub beneath him instantly shattered, and his right leg had turned a blackish-gold, shimmering like metal.

The Venerable Leg!

During this past month of life-and-death battles with the Flood Dragon, Shen Daoxing had finally cultivated Venerable Body Refining to the Third Layer. He could now freely condense the Venerable Flesh and Blood Power within him to strengthen any part of his body, no longer limited to just his right arm.

He had also gained a deeper understanding of the power of the Venerable Body.

According to the Venerable Body Refining Technique, the next step was to commune with heaven and earth, sense the supreme existences within the world, and forge an invincible Venerable Dharma Aspect.

This was also a mandatory step to enter the Earth Profound Realm.

The Earth Profound Realm required a connection with heaven and earth, marking a true step onto the Path of Immortal Cultivation. The Golden Body Dharma Aspect was the means of this communion, allowing one to sense the supreme Immortal Gods. One could also pray to the deities their lineage had worshiped for generations, borrowing their power to forge a Supreme Golden Body.

For instance, the Celestial Profound Sacred Land forged their Golden Bodies by borrowing power from the Taoist School deities they had worshiped for generations.

The Cyan Nether Sword Sect, on the other hand, sought the power of that past Land Immortal—the Great Sword Immortal who had carved out Yun Meng Lake with a single strike.

Undoubtedly, for Shen Daoxing to forge his Venerable Dharma Aspect, he would need to commune with the Venerable Supremes who had fallen in ages past.

'But where are those Venerable Supremes of the past? According to Elder Blood Dragon, they all seem to have perished.'

For a moment, Shen Daoxing was completely stumped.

But then, an idea struck him. With a wave of his hand, a small jade seal appeared in his palm.

This Venerable Dharma Seal was an artifact left by a past Venerable Supreme. It seemed to contain supreme Venerable Power. Previously, by comprehending just a tiny fraction of it, Shen Daoxing had obtained the Innate Divine Technique, A Dream of Huangliang.

The true treasure was the secret Venerable Power hidden within, yet Shen Daoxing had only ever used the Venerable Dharma Seal as a Magical Treasure for brawling.

He promptly sat down on a cushion, placed the Venerable Dharma Seal on his lap, and rested his hands upon it.

In a trance, Shen Daoxing felt himself transported to an ancient battlefield. He was surrounded by the roaring din of combat, his vision filled with gory corpses, the very earth stained crimson with blood.

A moment later, he was on a high mountain. He watched as the heavens suddenly split apart and an impossibly massive hand reached out. With a single, light pat, it caused the celestial river to collapse.

The next moment, he found himself in the boundless cosmos. A majestic planet before him suddenly shattered, and the endless screams and cries of countless beings echoed in his ears.

Visions of flashing blades and bloody shadows, of collapsing mountains and rivers, of shattering heavens and earth—they all flashed past like a whirlwind, cramming into his mind one after another, causing such immense pain it felt as if his head would explode.

Fortunately, Shen Daoxing's Divine Soul had been strengthened many times before. He had also absorbed Soul Origin Crystal Stones in the Celestial Essence Ore Vein, making his Divine Soul incredibly powerful.

These massive, complex scenes overlapped and flooded into his mind like an unstoppable tide.

Veins bulged on his forehead as large beads of sweat dripped down, but he endured it all, his hands clutching the Venerable Dharma Seal, refusing to let go.

Suddenly.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!"

A series of crisp, cracking sounds rang out.

Shen Daoxing watched as the scenes in his mind began to crack like glass before shattering completely.

Everything around him vanished, leaving only a vast, white void.

Dazed, Shen Daoxing walked forward, on and on, for what felt like an eternity.

Then, he saw it—an ordinary little wooden cabin.

A middle-aged man in flowing white robes was sitting before a stone table, picking up a white Go stone.

The man's features were handsome and sharply defined, exuding an indescribable elegance. Though his aura seemed ordinary, a single glance was all it took for Shen Daoxing to sense that he was anything but. This was no common man.

The handsome middle-aged man spoke slowly, "It has been a very long time since I had a visitor."

Shen Daoxing asked blankly, "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, the handsome man said lightly, "Who I am is not important. What is important is why you are here."

As he spoke, he swirled the Go stone in his hand, gesturing for Shen Daoxing to sit across from him for a game.

Shen Daoxing looked at the stone board. The black and white stones were arranged in a complex, interlocking pattern, looking like two peerless masters locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.