Chapter 522 - 459: Long River, Immortal Island

"BUZZ—"

In his palm, the warm spot of light suddenly trembled the moment the Master of the Ancient Coffin fled in a panic! Then, it slowly floated up from Qi Yun’s palm, hovering a foot away in the void before him. Wisps of Daoist Intent dispersed and flowed naturally, rapidly sketching and engraving themselves in the void!

In the blink of an eye, a profoundly mysterious corner of complex Array Patterns, faintly containing countless sinking and rising anomalies, manifested!

Qi Yun lowered his head. His calm gaze swept over the corner of the Array Patterns that appeared out of thin air, a slightly playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"A show of strength, huh..."

Without any hesitation, he lifted his foot and stepped firmly onto the corner of the Array Patterns!

"BOOM!!!"

The moment his foot landed, the entire Array Patterns vibrated violently, erupting with unprecedentedly dazzling light!

The next moment, with a loud WHOOSH, the Array Patterns swept Qi Yun up, instantly transforming into a torrent that charged straight down.

In Qi Yun’s perception and vision, the surging torrent of light and shadows around him suddenly cleared. It was replaced by a vast, majestic, and eternally flowing "river" whose grandeur defied all description!

This "river" had no beginning and no end. Its waters were formed by the convergence of countless miniature, constantly forming and shattering world bubbles, scrolls of the rise and fall of civilizations, fragments of the joys and sorrows of living beings, along with the most fundamental debris of time and threads of fate!

It emanated a Supreme, all-transcending Dao Rhyme that seemed to be the origin and final destination of all things!

This was precisely the River of Heaven and Earth Years!

Carrying Qi Yun, that corner of Array Patterns acted like the sturdiest of skiffs, boldly plunging into this terrifying river that countless living beings desperately avoided!

"RUMBLE—"

The Array Patterns entered the river, kicking up countless waves! The waters, composed of world bubbles and time debris, attempted to swallow and assimilate this "foreign object." However, the Daoist Intent flowing on the surface of the Array Patterns merely rippled slightly, and all the approaching "river water" parted on its own!

Carrying Qi Yun, the Array Patterns traveled along this waterway at a terrifying speed that surpassed the conventional flow of time and space, constantly heading downward into the depths.

It was unknown how much time had passed; it could have been an instant, or it could have been an eternity.

The surging "river water" around him gradually grew tranquil. The Power of Time here was rich to the extreme. Even the indestructible will of a True Monarch might silently have its concept of "time" of existence ground away if they stayed here too long.

Right at this moment, a peculiar point of light slowly emerged from the endless primordial chaotic colors ahead.

As the Array Patterns continuously approached, the light rapidly grew larger and clearer. It was astonishingly an island!

An Immortal Island suspended in the deepest parts of the River of Heaven and Earth Years, surrounded by infinite primordial chaotic qi and the Power of Time! Yet, it formed a world of its own, emanating an aura of timeless eternity!

The Immortal Island was not enormous, spanning merely a thousand miles in circumference. It allowed the river, representing "change" and "passage," to wash over it, remaining entirely Immovable.

Upon the island, there were no traces of artificial carving. Everything presented a state of natural, unblemished beauty. Chaotic qi cascaded down like waterfalls from the island’s edges, but it did not fall into the river. Instead, it transformed into dense immortal mist in midair, nourishing all living things. There was a Spiritual Spring where Innate Spiritual Qi was so dense it had liquefied, murmuring as it flowed between bizarre peaks and strange rocks. The babbling water sounded like it was playing the heavenly music of the Great Dao.

Various Innate spiritual roots—long extinct in the outside world or existing only in myths—took root in the soil. As their branches and leaves swayed, they were accompanied by anomalies of stars forming and shattering, and the Reincarnation of the four seasons.

Phantoms of jade palaces, pavilions, and towers flickered in and out of sight within the immortal mist. Though they were mere illusions, they exuded a Dao Rhyme far vaster and more majestic than real temples! The entire Immortal Island was bathed in a gentle and pure chaotic immortal light. It was tranquil, transcendent, and mysterious, possessing an absolute grandeur that stood above the countless ages!

"WHOOSH—"

Carrying Qi Yun, the Array Patterns unhesitatingly passed through the layer of chaotic qi curtain surrounding the Immortal Island—which appeared thin but actually contained a terrifying Restriction—and landed steadily in the center on a lush green lawn as soft as immortal brocade.

The light of the Array Patterns retracted and vanished. Qi Yun stood firmly, looking around with a curious gaze.

Directly in front of him was an extremely simple thatched cottage. The cottage was small, its wooden door left slightly ajar. In front of the door was a stone platform and two Meditation Mats. Everything was simple to the extreme, forming a stark contrast with the phantoms of jade palaces condensed from Dao Principles around it. However, it gave off a feeling of Ten Thousand Laws returning to one and the Great Dao being utterly simple, as if it were the true core of this miraculous Immortal Island.

Just as Qi Yun’s gaze swept past the thatched cottage and landed on a strange ancient tree bearing seven-colored Dao Fruits further away, a sudden change occurred!

"WHOOSH—"

Behind him, the already pervasive dense immortal mist silently gathered together at a frantic, unimaginably fast speed! In the blink of an eye, it condensed into a tall, blurry figure made of clouds and mist, whose face and clothing could not be clearly seen!

This figure appeared without any warning, as if it had always been a part of the immortal mist, perfectly blending with the Dao Rhyme of the entire Immortal Island, making it completely impossible to detect beforehand!

The next fraction of a second, that solidified palm of cloud and mist, with its five fingers slightly spread, struck down toward the center of Qi Yun’s back! It carried no earthly intent yet was faster than the flow of time, containing a terrifying might capable of pressing an entire Star River into a flat painting!

Even before the wind of the palm strike arrived, the void around Qi Yun had completely "solidified," the flow of time forcibly slowed down ten thousand times!

"Hmm?" Qi Yun’s brow twitched imperceptibly.

"BOOM—"

An unparalleled, majestic chaotic multicolored intent—brimming with the will of Commanding All Skills and solitary supremacy of his own Dao—explosively erupted from Qi Yun’s body, instantly shattering the space-time confinement around him!

In a flash, he pivoted halfway around!

Raising his right hand, the Primordial multicolored intent in his palm surged like a boiling Star Sea. Without dodging or evading, he struck out in an even more overbearing manner, viciously clashing head-on against the incoming cloud palm!

"BANG!!!"

A muffled sound suddenly exploded—not overly loud, but condensed to the absolute limit, like a head-on collision between two entirely different worlds! With the point of intersection between the two palms as the center, a visible ring of terrifying aftershocks, mixed with chaotic multicolored intent and pure cloud Dao Principles, swept outward fiercely!

"BUZZ—"

At the exact moment the aftershocks were about to fully erupt and wreak havoc on the Immortal Island, the entire island trembled violently!

A terrifying power—indescribably vast and heavy, condensed from the weight of eternal years and the origins of infinite worlds—surged from every inch of the island’s soil and every wisp of immortal mist. Like an invisible giant hand, it unquestioningly suppressed the impending destructive aftershocks back down, dissolving them into nothingness!

The aftershocks faded, revealing the figures of the two individuals locked in the palm strike.

Qi Yun’s body swayed slightly, and he involuntarily staggered back three steps with a THUMP THUMP THUMP. With every step he took, he left a deep footprint with chaotic multicolored intent flowing around the edges on the lawn, which was soft yet tougher than Divine Gold.

Meanwhile, the cloud and mist figure opposite him remained entirely Immovable. He still maintained his striking posture, as if the clash capable of shattering a Star River was nothing more than a Clear Wind blowing past his face.

However, a very faint trace of blood trickled out from the blurry corner of the cloud figure’s mouth.

The Immortal Island was quiet, and the thatched cottage was silent. Qi Yun gently rotated his slightly numb wrist. As the chaotic multicolored intent circulated through his meridians once, that trace of discomfort completely vanished. He raised his head, looking toward the still-solid cloud figure in front of him. With a half-smile, he spoke loudly:

"Ancestor Shen Yi... Are you in such a rush to test this disciple’s Cultivation?"

His voice echoed clearly across the lawn of the Immortal Island.

"Heh..." A light chuckle rang out from the cloud figure.

The next moment, the dense immortal mist surrounding it silently and docilely contracted inward, collapsing and condensing. The mist dispersed, revealing a figure as straight as a pine tree, dressed in a plain, black Daoist Robe.

It was precisely—Shen Yi Preaching True Monarch!

At this moment, True Monarch Shen Yi’s face was no longer shrouded beneath the mist of time, but clearly visible. He appeared to be middle-aged with an ordinary face. His eyes were profound, as if containing the formation and destruction of the eternal Star River and the source of the Great Dao. They circulated with a kind of wisdom and peace that had settled after experiencing countless ages. He was currently staring with great interest at Qi Yun’s right hand, where the multicolored intent had yet to fully dissipate and was still flowing with a faint light.

"Good lad," True Monarch Shen Yi spoke. His voice was gentle and peaceful, carrying a hint of genuine admiration and surprise. "Your Primordial Dao... truly is... exceedingly overbearing.

"Commanding ten thousand Daos and encompassing the myriad heavens..." True Monarch Shen Yi’s gaze pierced through the flesh of Qi Yun’s palm, looking directly at the essence of the Primordial Daoist Intent flowing within. "In that palm clash just now, if I hadn’t withdrawn my hand in time, you would have sucked away at least three to five hundred years of my cultivation base."

"Ancestor is exaggerating," Qi Yun replied, bowing slightly to True Monarch Shen Yi in a junior disciple’s greeting. "Just now, this disciple overreacted and failed to completely restrain my Dao Rhyme, offending Ancestor’s holy might. Please forgive me, Ancestor."

"It is no matter, no matter," True Monarch Shen Yi waved his hand and laughed. "To be able to personally experience this unprecedented Primordial Dao, what does losing a bit of cultivation matter? It is well worth it."

Qi Yun straightened up, just about to speak again.

However, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the side of True Monarch Shen Yi, where a figure was stepping out.

...