Chapter 536 - 472: Traitor!

Midnight. The moon was hidden, and the stars had sunk into the abyss.

The Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple was shrouded in a darkness so thick it felt almost solid. Only the Profound Yellow luster radiating from the Mountain and River Cauldron acted as a solitary lamp, barely illuminating a tiny square of the courtyard. The light reflected off the branches of a withered tree, casting crisscrossing shadows onto the ground like an impenetrable web.

Qi Yun sat at the very center of this web. His eyes were half-closed, his breathing long and steady. He seemed to have completely merged with the Heaven and Earth around him. If one were to rely solely on the naked eye, it would be almost impossible to distinguish his silhouette from the shadows of the dead tree.

He had sat in this silent meditation for three days. Ever since his conversation with Cai Shen, he had not spoken a single word, nor had he shifted his posture in the slightest. Only the Primordial multicolored light flowing around his body pulsed at an incredibly slow, faint frequency.

Inside the Mountain and River Cauldron, Cai Shen’s spiritual nature fluctuations had also stabilized. These past few days, he had stayed by Fourteenth Brother’s side, using the aura of a homologous Imperial Soldier to nourish his spiritual nature. Though exhausted, he found joy in the tireless work. Qi Yun could sense the two intertwining auras within the cauldron. One was deep and steadfast, while the other was lively and erratic. They were echoing and nourishing each other in a slow yet resolute rhythm.

"In another half a year to a year, the Mountain and River Cauldron’s spiritual nature should be mostly restored," he calculated silently. "By then, it should be able to remember a few things."

As for what it could remember and how much, that was anyone’s guess. The Seal of over a hundred True Monarchs had not only locked away its movements but also its memories. Those deliberately buried past events—secrets that might pertain to the Dao Kings, the Profound Yellow Origin Realm, and the truth behind this eternal game of chess—were all buried deep within the depths of its spiritual nature. Like reefs sunken at the bottom of the sea, they would not be easily salvaged.

There was no rushing this. Qi Yun was very patient. Throughout his journey, from the lowliest Servant Disciple in the Outer Mansion to the Supreme True Monarch who now wielded the Primordial Dao, he had never relied on momentary impulses. Instead, he depended on meticulous planning and the patience to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Just as these Heart Thoughts flowed through his mind—

BUZZ.

An extremely faint, almost imperceptible tremor emanated from the ancient Token at his waist.

Qi Yun’s eyes snapped open. A multicolored light flashed through his pupils and vanished like lightning streaking across the dark night, so fast that even the Mountain and River Cauldron sitting mere inches away failed to catch it. He lowered his head and looked at his waist. The Token gifted by True Monarch Shen Yi was currently emitting a remarkably weak, almost imperceptible Chaos Multicolored Light. The glow flickered erratically like a candle in the wind, looking as though it could extinguish at any moment.

But this was not a message. It was... a warning.

Qi Yun’s brows furrowed imperceptibly. Aside from sensing the location of Longevity Immortal Island and receiving messages from True Monarch Shen Yi, this Token had another function he had never utilized—an early warning system. True Monarch Shen Yi had once said that if he sensed an "abnormal" Dao King-level fluctuation near the Profound Yellow Origin Realm, he would use this Token to sound the alarm.

Now, the Token had lit up. What did this mean?

Qi Yun’s gaze deepened. He didn’t immediately activate the Token to investigate the details. Instead, he slowly closed his eyes and sank his Heart and Spirit deep into his Purple Mansion.

The Dao of Primordial Daluo operated at full capacity.

In an instant, his perception was infinitely elevated and extended. It pierced through the Restrictions of the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple, the Grand Array of the Wuji Holy Sect, the billowing demonic clouds above Central Earth, and the thick, ancient realm barrier of the Profound Yellow Origin Realm, reaching straight into the vast, boundless Outer Realm void.

He "saw" it.

Near the ruins of the True Monarch Stele Forest he had recently set foot in, within the Broken void that had been ravaged by the Slaying Immortals Sword Array and the Heluo Grand Array and still hadn’t fully healed, an extremely blurry, highly concealed aura was slowly prowling like a giant beast lurking in the deep sea. The aura wasn’t strong; in fact, it was pitifully weak, like a flickering candle in the wind that could go out at any second.

But its essence...

Qi Yun’s pupils contracted slightly. It was the aura of a Dao King.

No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t a complete Dao King. It wasn’t a terrifying existence like the World Honored One, whose oppressive might felt like purgatory despite being blocked off, nor was it a former Dao King like True Monarch Shen Yi, who still possessed a profound foundation despite severing his own Cultivation. Rather, it was a wisp of... a remnant will. A Dao King’s remnant will that had been severed, abandoned, and Sealed away for an unknown number of years.

It was unknown why it had awakened, why it had wandered here, or why... True Monarch Shen Yi’s Token had sensed it. But it was undeniably there. Like a long-forgotten corpse floating in the void, it drifted silently, blankly, and aimlessly.

Qi Yun quietly "watched" that wisp of remnant will. Multicolored light swirled in his eyes as he used the Dao of the Primordial to deduce its origins with all his might. A moment later, he slowly retracted his perception and opened his eyes.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself, his voice exceptionally clear in the silent courtyard.

The Mountain and River Cauldron trembled slightly. Cai Shen’s spiritual nature fluctuations emanated from within, carrying a hint of grogginess. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Qi Yun said plainly. "Someone... has sent us a great gift."

"A great gift?" Cai Shen’s voice grew a bit more awake. "What kind of gift?"

Qi Yun didn’t answer. He merely stood up slowly, brushed off the hem of his robes, and walked to the center of the courtyard. He looked up at the Celestial Vault, which was obscured by thick clouds. Deep within the clouds, starlight vaguely shone through, but it was as weak as a dying flame—struggling to illuminate something, yet lacking the strength to do so.

"Elder Cai," he suddenly spoke.

"I’m here," Cai Shen replied hastily.