Chapter 539 - 474: The Mountains and Rivers Awaken!

The thirty-seventh day of Qi Yun’s seclusion.

The Cyan Mountain Daoist Temple remained as tranquil as usual. The figure beneath the withered tree seemed to have transformed into a stubborn boulder in the mountains, enduring the wind and rain, completely Immovable.

The Profound Yellow luster on the Mountain and River Cauldron was several degrees brighter than it had been over a month ago. The nine divine dragons coiling around the cauldron’s body moved with much greater range. The radiance within their dragon eyes no longer flickered; instead, it shone steadily like nine unextinguishable Everlasting Lamps, illuminating this small courtyard.

Within the *Vast Divine Land Mountains and Rivers Map* at the bottom of the cauldron, the pedestrians moving between the cities walked with an increasingly unhurried pace, and the birds soaring among the mountains and rivers flew with growing freedom. The evening songs from the fishing boats on the rivers even faintly seeped through the cauldron, echoing in the courtyard. Everything was improving.

Cai Shen’s spiritual nature fluctuations transmitted from the cauldron, carrying a trace of exhaustion, yet also a hint of gratification. These past few days, he had stayed continuously by Fourteenth Brother’s side, using the aura of an Imperial Soldier from the same origin to warm and nourish his spiritual nature. Though strenuous, he delighted in it and never grew tired.

"Fourteenth Brother has improved a bit more today," his voice transmitted into Qi Yun’s ears through Divine Thought. "At this rate, perhaps it won’t even take half a year before he can operate on his own."

Qi Yun did not respond. He still kept his eyes closed. The aura around him was as completely still as a hibernating snake, without the slightest fluctuation to be felt.

But Cai Shen knew he was awake. Qi Yun had been like this all these days. Sitting in silence, waiting, and occasionally performing deductions. He never initiated a conversation, nor did he ever explain anything. It was as if he was waiting for something, yet also guarding against something.

Cai Shen had long grown accustomed to this and said no more. The fluctuations of his spiritual nature quieted down once again as he continued to warm and nourish Fourteenth Brother’s spiritual nature. The courtyard returned to silence. Only the Profound Yellow luster on the Mountain and River Cauldron and the dark blue figure beneath the withered tree remained, forming a silent portrait.

The thirty-ninth day.

Qi Yun abruptly opened his eyes. A colorful gleam flashed through them and vanished, as fleeting as an illusion. He slowly raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers slightly, and gently guided out the Sealed grayish-white wisp of residual thought from his sleeve.

BUZZ—

The wisp of residual thought, which had been silent for so long, drifted out from his sleeve and hovered above his palm. The grayish-white halo was still faint, like a guttering candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment. However, those frozen, Broken images were somewhat clearer than before. That towering ancient city, that Chang’an hanging high above the Star River, and those city gates that seemed to have opened just a fraction wider than before... Everything was changing at an extremely slow, extremely faint pace. It was as if something was slowly awakening from the depths of memories sealed away for eons.

Qi Yun’s gaze fell upon this wisp of residual thought. The colorful gleam swirled in his eyes as he circulated the Dao of the Primordial at full power. He was not in a hurry to Refine it, nor did he attempt to undo the Seal. He merely watched quietly.

He watched those Broken images flow by, frame by frame. He watched the gates of the ancient city open, bit by bit. He watched the faint, extremely blurry, yet genuinely existent light seeping out from behind those doors. The light was very dim, so dim it was almost imperceptible.

But Qi Yun saw it. His pupils contracted slightly.

That light... was Sword Intent.

A Sword Intent that was pure to the extreme, fierce to the extreme, as if it could sever eons of karma and cleave through primordial nothingness. It was hidden behind those doors, hidden deep within the ancient city that had been sealed away in dust for countless years, like a slumbering vicious beast waiting for the moment of its awakening.

Qi Yun furrowed his brows slightly. He could feel that the Dao contained within that Sword Intent was completely different from any Sword Dao he knew. It was something more ancient, purer, and much more tyrannical. It was as though nothing in this world could resist being severed by it.

Qi Yun’s heart stirred, but he did not delve deeper into it. He knew that an existence of such a caliber was far beyond what he could pry into right now. He retracted his gaze and closed his eyes once more.

But this time, he did not fall back into silence. Instead, he sank his Heart and Spirit deep into his Purple Mansion. Circulating the Dao of the Primordial at full capacity, he began his deductions. He deduced the true origin of this wisp of residual thought, deduced the purpose of that Sword Intent, and deduced what role the unknown existence hidden behind the doors was playing in this eternal chess game.

Countless fragmented pieces of information collided, intertwined, and reorganized within his Heart and Spirit. Yet, he was always missing just one piece. That most crucial puzzle piece forever eluded him. That dust-covered history and those deliberately erased truths formed an invisible wall, blocking his path forward.

Qi Yun slowly opened his eyes, the colorful gleam within them retracting slightly. He did not continue his deductions. He knew continuing would yield no results. Those chess players hiding in the dark would not let him see the full picture so easily. All he could do was wait. Wait until those hidden chess players lost their patience and placed their pieces on the board.

The forty-fifth day.

The Profound Yellow luster on the Mountain and River Cauldron suddenly flared! The nine divine dragons coiling around the cauldron’s body all raised their heads and let out a long roar. Though the dragon roars were still faint, they were much clearer than before, vibrating with enough force to make the withered tree in the courtyard tremble slightly, sending a few residual leaves rustling to the ground.

Within the *Vast Divine Land Mountains and Rivers Map* at the bottom of the cauldron, the pedestrians walking between the cities all stopped simultaneously, raising their heads in unison to gaze at the sky. In the sky, a great sun slowly rose, its boundless radiance illuminating the land. This was the sign that the spiritual nature of the Mountain and River Cauldron had fully awakened.

Cai Shen’s spiritual nature fluctuations transmitted from the cauldron, carrying uncontrollable excitement. "Fourteenth Brother! You... you’re awake?"

The Mountain and River Cauldron did not respond immediately. On the cauldron’s body, the swimming motions of the nine divine dragons slowly came to a halt. The brilliance in their dragon eyes also gradually retracted, as if brewing something.