Chapter 537 - 472: Traitor!

"Tell me, if the residual will of a Dao King who died countless millennia ago drifted near Profound Yellow, what would happen?"

Cai Shen froze for a moment, then gasped. "A Dao King’s residual will? That thing... that thing is a massive problem!"

"How so?"

"Though the Dao King is dead, his Dao remains!" Cai Shen’s voice grew urgent. "The residual will might seem weak, but it actually carries the brand of the Great Dao cultivated by a Dao King over their entire lifetime!

"If some True Monarch were to obtain it, they might just glimpse the threshold of a Dao King through comprehension!

"And if it were obtained by those entities hiding in the shadows..."

He did not finish his sentence, but his meaning could not have been clearer.

Qi Yun nodded, his expression as calm as ever.

"So, it’s a bait," he said indifferently. "A bait placed right at the doorstep of Profound Yellow."

"A bait?" Cai Shen was taken aback. "Are you saying... someone lured it here on purpose?"

"What else could it be?" Qi Yun asked in return. "The void near Profound Yellow is boundless. It didn’t show up earlier or later, but exactly when the True Monarch Stele Forest was destroyed, the Master of the Ancient Coffin fell, and Demon Master Kunpeng appeared.

"Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence?"

Cai Shen fell silent.

A moment later, he asked hoarsely, "Then... who placed it?"

"I don’t know." Qi Yun shook his head. "It could be the World Honored One, it could be Demon Master Kunpeng, or it could be some other entity hiding even deeper.

"But no matter who it is, their goal is the same.

"To lure me out of my hole."

As those words fell, a deathly silence descended upon the courtyard.

The Profound Yellow luster on the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron seemed to dim a bit, and the movements of the nine divine dragons slowed down, as if even they could feel the hidden murderous intent beneath his calm words.

"Then... what do you plan to do?" Cai Shen’s voice was tight.

Qi Yun did not answer immediately.

He stood in the center of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, looking up at the Celestial Vault obscured by thick clouds. Colorful light flowed in his eyes, his thoughts unreadable.

After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, a very faint curve forming at the corners of his lips.

"Since it is a bait, it means someone wants me to take a bite.

"Then I will take a bite.

"Let’s see whether this hook is baited with poison or... honey."

Hearing this, Cai Shen said anxiously, "You know it’s a trap, yet you’re still going? What if..."

"What if what?" Qi Yun interrupted him, his voice flat. "What if I can’t win? I’ll just run."

Cai Shen was temporarily at a loss for words.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then realized that given Qi Yun’s current Cultivation and methods, he really wasn’t bragging.

If the Slaying Immortals Sword Array was deployed, even a Dao King’s residual will would have to avoid its sharp edge.

Even if he truly couldn’t win, escaping would not be difficult with the profundity of the Primordial Dao.

"Moreover," Qi Yun’s voice turned profound, "the appearance of this residual will at this time might not be entirely a bad thing."

"Not a bad thing? Could it be a good thing?" Cai Shen was puzzled.

"A Dao King’s residual will carries the brand of their lifelong Great Dao," Qi Yun said slowly. "If I can Refine it, commanding and absorbing it with the Primordial Dao, my comprehension of the ’Dao King’ realm will deepen by another level.

"When that time comes, even if the World Honored One descends in person, I might not lack the power to put up a fight."

At these words, Cai Shen fell completely silent.

He suddenly understood why Qi Yun insisted on going despite knowing it was a trap.

Because this was a textbook open conspiracy.

A Dao King’s residual will!

To True Monarchs, especially a Great Success True Monarch like Qi Yun, this held an almost irresistible temptation!

And Qi Yun would never pass up any opportunity that could make him stronger.

"I’ll go with you." Cai Shen stopped trying to dissuade him, his voice turning firm.

"No need," Qi Yun shook his head. "The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron’s spiritual nature has not yet recovered. It needs you to stay by its side to nourish it.

"Besides..." He paused, his gaze darkening. "Having you by my side will only distract me."

Cai Shen opened his mouth, but ultimately did not argue.

He knew Qi Yun was telling the truth.

With his current capabilities, facing a clash on the level of a Dao King’s residual will, he wouldn’t be of any help; instead, he might become a burden.

"Then be careful," he said muffledly.

"Don’t worry." Qi Yun gave a faint smile. "I haven’t lived long enough yet."

Saying so, he spoke no more. His figure swayed slightly, transforming into an ephemeral Chaotic Flowing Light that silently pierced through the Restriction of the Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple and vanished into the vast night.

The courtyard returned to silence.

The Profound Yellow luster on the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron flickered, and the nine divine dragons ceased their swimming. The light in the dragons’ eyes shimmered, as if seeing someone off.

Cai Shen’s spiritual nature fluctuations emanated from within, carrying a bit of worry and a bit of trust.

"Fourteenth Brother, do you think... he will return safely?"

The Mountains and Rivers Cauldron was silent for a moment.

Within the *Vast Divine Land Mountains and Rivers Map* at the bottom of the cauldron, the main gates of that towering city slowly closed. The masses dispersed, leaving the long streets empty.

Only a single flag atop the city wall flapped fiercely in the wind, pointing into the distance.

It was as if answering, or perhaps offering a blessing.

In the Outer Realm’s void, Qi Yun’s figure was like an invisible ghost, shuttling between Broken stars and floating world debris.

He did not push himself to his limits; instead, he controlled his speed at a moderate pace, moving silently while maintaining constant vigilance.

The aura of that Dao King’s residual will became increasingly clear in his perception.

It was just ahead, on the edge of the Broken void that had been ravaged by the Slaying Immortals Sword Array and the Heluo Grand Array. Like a stranded giant whale, it floated weakly and aimlessly.

Qi Yun slowed down, concealing his aura to the absolute limit.

His figure blurred, as if melting into the void itself, not leaking even the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi.

The Primordial Dao, Commanding All Skills, naturally excelled at concealment as well.

He approached the residual will silently, like a falling dead leaf.

Closer.

Even closer.

Finally, less than a thousand miles away from the residual will, Qi Yun came to a halt.

Suspended in the void, his gaze pierced through the layered spatial folds and landed on the residual will.

It was an extremely faint, almost imperceptible grayish-white halo, about the size of a fist, drifting slowly in the void. Inside the halo, countless Broken images faintly flashed by—towering palaces, the vast Star River, marching armored cavalry, and fallen gods.

The images flowed by too fast, so fast that even Qi Yun could not capture a single complete fragment.

But he could feel the Dao Rhyme contained within that halo.

It was a Dao entirely different from his own.

Overbearing, fierce, and utterly egocentric, like an emperor reigning over the world, looking down upon the masses below.

Yet it also carried a trace of... unwillingness.

An unwillingness born of being forcefully terminated, forever frozen in a certain moment.

Qi Yun quietly "looked" at this residual will. Colorful light flowed in his eyes as he deduced with all his might using the Primordial Dao.

A moment later, he slowly furrowed his brows.

The condition of this residual will was even worse than he had expected.

Not only had it been severed and abandoned, but most of its existence had been "erased" from its very source by some stronger, more overbearing power.

It remembered being powerful, it remembered its past glory, yet it had forgotten who it was, where it came from, and where it was supposed to go.

It was merely a lingering obsession unwilling to dissipate, drifting blankly in the void, searching for a home that no longer existed.

"Pitiful," Qi Yun whispered in his heart, though his eyes held not a shred of pity.

The path of Cultivation had always been like this.

Winners became kings, losers became bandits. Life and death were determined by fate.

The master of this residual will must have been an awe-inspiring Supreme Being who commanded the heavens in the past.

But now, he was nothing more than a ball of obsession abandoned in the void, on the verge of dissipating, having forgotten even his own name.

Qi Yun withdrew his gaze and began deducing in his heart.

How should he deal with this residual will?

Refine it directly?

Given the overbearing nature of the Primordial Dao, it wasn’t impossible, but were there any hidden tricks inside?

Place a Seal on it and take it away? Bring it back to Profound Yellow to study slowly?

The risk was too great. Who knew what traps were hidden behind this residual will.

Or perhaps...

Just as his Heart Thoughts raced—

BUZZ.

The residual will, which had been floating quietly all along, trembled slightly without any warning.

Immediately after, at an inconceivable speed, it shot straight toward Qi Yun!

Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed, but he did not retreat.

Because the moment the residual will flew over, an extremely faint and blurred yet distinctly discernible intention transmitted into the depths of his Heart and Spirit, like a whisper traversing eternal millennia:

"You... have his aura... on you..."

"Can... Yi..."

"That... traitor..."