Chapter 385: Path Opening the Heavens (Part 1)

Chapter 385: Path Opening the Heavens (Part 1)

Among the saints present, many were either lost in thought or squinting their eyes, their current demeanor evoking memories of the past.

"Damn, I said you might have changed genders..."

A saint who had lived since the Five Pillars era, having witnessed those ancient times, muttered to himself.

Back then, he wasn't yet a True Emperor, but he remembered the Holy King's conduct vividly.

Kong Xuan raised an eyebrow and whispered to a few old friends nearby:

"This old man hasn't gone crazy in a long time. Now that he's suddenly acting up, let's listen to me for a moment. Bear with him and avoid his sharp edge."

Guardian Zhen remained silent, his gaze fixed on Chijin.

The Yin-Yang True Emperor's eyes narrowed, sensing an anomaly in the world, resonating with his Great Dao.

Not far away.

A three-foot-high Dao Vase hovered in mid-air, and not far from it, a fragment of an ancient scripture floated, emitting a strong Dao Rhythm.

Behind these artifacts stood several saints, mostly new ones who had not witnessed the Holy King's early conduct. They frowned, wanting to say something, but were restrained by the Dao Rhythm emanating from the artifacts.

The artifacts remained calm, suspended in the air, restraining their side's powerful figures and avoiding direct conflict.

The Holy King had glanced at them earlier, his warning clear.

These artifacts represented a few True Emperors whose True Forms were still outside this world, all of whom were outstanding among True Emperors, as ancient as the world itself, having condensed their entire timelines.

At that moment, a solitary lantern emitted a faint glow, privately communicating with the Holy King. No one knew what they were discussing.

The Void Emperor surveyed the scene and whispered, "Where is Cang Qing? What are you all plotting? Even hiding it from me?"

"Just sit tight", the Holy King replied without turning his head. "If you're curious, help me keep an eye on those outsiders. They might have artifacts or methods bestowed by the Transcenders."

The Void Emperor's gaze swept over the crowd, landing on the three families of the Mayfly Palace.

Though he wasn't clear on what the saints and Cang Qing were planning, he didn't want to cause a split among the Five Pillars in this situation.

He would settle accounts later.

Feeling the Void Emperor's gaze, the True Emperor patriarchs leading the three families frowned.

Recently, it was the Void Emperor who had been responsible for hosting them.

With his watchful eye, they couldn't go elsewhere and could only send their disciples to complete their tasks.

There had been some tentative skirmishes between the two sides.

The Void Emperor's displayed strength, though not on par with the half-Transcenders, was still among the top tier of True Emperors.

If he had any hidden cards...

"Are you worried we might interfere with Chijin's breakthrough?" a True Emperor asked tentatively, shaking his head. "You're overthinking it. We wouldn't target a junior."

The Holy King nodded. "Remember what you said."

Many saints pondered the implications of this statement.

Was he that concerned they might interfere?

The saints watched as Chijin's breakthrough began.

They noticed that Chijin was taking a new path pioneered by later beings, not the old path of the gods.

The new path, from Heavenly Person to Celestial King, was a significant leap in the hierarchy of life and a major enhancement of the self.

Features like "Omniscience" and "Immortality" fundamentally stemmed from the elevation and evolution of the self.

Most Celestial Kings ascended through gradual efforts, gradually acquiring the various characteristics of a Celestial King to increase their chances of success, and finally attempting the Great Dao baptism from the Dharma Realm.

This was the most challenging step and the greatest gift.

In the world.

Chijin felt the chaotic will converging upon her.

The pressure from all directions grew closer.

The divine platform beneath her feet glowed brightly, lifting her into the sky.

Chijin had reached Heavenly Man Perfection earlier than Ji Jingqiu. While her Dao power was inferior, her accumulation was even greater, and she already possessed all the characteristics of a Celestial King.

She had delayed her ascension to Celestial King, just like Ji Jingqiu, suppressing herself. Her vision and aspirations far surpassed those of ordinary people.

She wasn't attempting to open the heavens like Ji Jingqiu, but the path she was opening was, in terms of grandeur and ambition, unmatched by few in the history of the world.

Her goal was to open the "Heavenly Dao."

She wanted to become the "Heavenly Dao" of Daluotian.

Once she ascended to True Emperor, she would then seek to usurp the will of the Grand Cosmos.

This was the path Chijin had set for herself before reaching Heavenly Person.

In a sense, the difficulty of this path was only slightly less than opening the heavens. For anyone else, having such ambition was one thing, but if they dared to attempt it, the Five Pillars might not act, but other ancient gods would certainly kill them.

Throughout the world, there was probably only one Chijin with the right background, talent, and courage to even consider such a path.

This was also why Cang Qing had chosen Chijin to make the deal with the Holy King, letting Chijin go first in place of Ji Jingqiu.

If Chijin succeeded in opening the heavens, creating a line of Heavenly Dao for Daluotian, the essence of "Guard Void and Stillness" could be integrated into Daluotian.

If Ji Jingqiu failed to open the heavens in the Grand Cosmos, he could retreat to Daluotian, a fallback plan the Holy King had set for this promising young man.

Everything was ready.

Chijin focused her mind.

A complete Inner World materialized beneath her feet.

She raised her hand.

The sun and moon fell into her palm, rising in the world.

This scene left the saints slightly moved, their gazes shifting to the Moon Deity and the Holy King.

The grandeur of this sun and moon, containing the essence of the sun and moon, was undoubtedly obtained by the Holy King from the Moon Deity and the ancient Sun Deity.

Using this to nurture her Inner World, she had already formed the embryonic form of an inner universe before reaching Celestial King, saving her countless hours of effort later.

Chijin's physical form stood between the inner and outer worlds, while her mind stood before the Dharma Realm.

The words she had discussed with Ji Jingqiu recently flowed through her mind—

"The world has great beauty without speaking, and the seasons have clear laws without discussion."

"If you want to be the ruler of a world, you must understand 'Guard Void and Stillness.'"

"The seasons cycle, all things flow, the mind remains calm, and the Dao is always present..."

At that moment.

Chijin's mind stood on the steps of "Guard Void and Stillness", roaming with the world, breathing with creation, holding the sun and moon, and evolving the four seasons and twenty-four solar terms, the Great Dao cycling endlessly, life continuing without end.

Using her Inner World as a foundation, she shook the greater world outside, earning the recognition of the world and the Dharma Realm!

She took a seemingly unremarkable step, but this step spanned the distance between heaven and earth, reaching the Dharma Realm.

For a Celestial King, the hardest step was easily broken through!

Seeing Chijin effortlessly overcome the most difficult step, a saint nodded slightly:

"A Celestial King is also called a master. At this level, one must have clearly defined their path and walked it. For Chijin to enter the Dharma Realm so easily, she must have already reached the Celestial King level in the creation of the Illusory Great Dao."

An elder from the Sacred Temple, the Azure Sea Sage, clicked his tongue:

"No wonder this one is so cautious and wary of us. She's actually opening the 'Heavenly Dao' and merging with Daluotian. Truly worthy of being the Holy King's daughter, even the Five Pillars are giving her a clear path."

This comment drew nods of agreement from many saints, who were impressed by Chijin's ambition.

Once Chijin fully merged with Daluotian, she would likely be the supreme being of this world.

If her ambition grew even larger and she slowly sought to usurp the will of the Grand Cosmos...

It might be a path to transcendence!

Among the saints, the Moon Deity sensed Chijin's unusual state and muttered to herself:

"This child's mental realm seems to have improved again. Could she have glimpsed the essence of Seated Oblivion at the Heavenly Person stage? Otherwise, how could she stand so easily in the Dharma Realm and withstand the Great Dao baptism?"

Recently, the Holy King had brought Chijin to visit her, taking a few strands of ancient moon essence.

She remembered that Chijin's mental state was not like this at the time.

Not far away, Kong Xuan felt the Dao Rhythm emanating from Chijin, sensing its meaning and said:

"Rivers change course, old friends scatter, knowing all things flow, yet fearing oneself like a drifting reed... It's easy to remain calm for a moment, but a lifetime is too difficult, even for a True Emperor, who must struggle in the mundane world."

Guardian Zhen's gaze was peculiar.

As he had suspected.

Was Chijin also within Ji Jingqiu's sphere of influence?

Who was this grand spectacle truly set for?

At that moment.

Chijin was enveloped in a glow of Dao Rhythm, her entire being radiating the divine light unique to the Holy King's lineage, subtly forming a wondrous scene of a world, turning into a Dao diagram.

The Dao diagram was inscribed with the Illusory Great Dao she had created, revolving around her, outlining the vague contours of Daluotian!

"A wondrous scene of the Great Dao."

The Moon Deity nodded in approval,

"With this step, the rest will be smooth sailing. Truly worthy of being the Holy King's daughter, her breakthrough to the Seventh Realm is unhindered."

A wondrous scene, also known as a Dao diagram, is one of the manifestations of a Celestial King's Dao.

At this stage, a Celestial King can choose to refine various Great Dao or the Dao Rhythm of wondrous scenes in the universe, integrating them with their inner universe, making them both offensive and defensive, akin to a growing Great Dao artifact.

As the saints offered their congratulations, the Holy King remained expressionless, not responding, his eyes fixed on Chijin's position.

The Void Emperor suddenly frowned, looking at the nearby void.

As the first void behemoth in the world, He was most sensitive to changes in the void, sensing an anomaly.

"Misty Sea?"

The Void Emperor shook his head, whispering,

"Saint, your daughter's luck is a bit off."

Since the Misty Sea appeared, Heavenly Person practitioners and above might face resistance and obstacles during their breakthroughs.

Even when they five broke through to Transcendence, they all faced immense obstacles.

Some even failed because of this.

The higher one’s realm, the more likely one is to be targeted by the Misty Sea.

In the past two decades, with the Misty Sea lying dormant, the situation has improved significantly. Who would have thought that Chijin would still encounter it this time?

However, Void Emperor wasn’t worried about his old friend’s daughter.

The Divine Light of the Holy King lineage, with its purifying properties, has a certain restraining effect on the power of the Misty Sea.

Now that Chijin has successfully opened her path, becoming a thread of the Heavenly Dao in the Great Void Heaven, she stands on her home ground within the Great Void Heaven, giving her no reason to lose.

Holy King’s gaze pierced through the void, freezing time and space as it passed. He crossed the vast distance of the Misty Sea, trying to search for the source, but found nothing.

"Be careful."

He warned Chijin, sensing an anomaly deep within the Misty Sea.

But now, with three of the Four Demons already defeated and Taiyi not at "home", instead wandering outside with Ji Tianxing, who could be causing such turmoil deep in the Misty Sea?

Chijin stood proudly in the world.

At this moment, she was in harmony with the Dao, and the entire Great Void Heaven was within her perception. Even a tiny connection to the Dao was enough to unleash immeasurable power!

Under the impending pressure of the Misty Sea, Chijin keenly sensed a strong malice, hidden deep within, which she might not have noticed if she hadn’t been in harmony with the heavens.

This malice was deeply concealed but intense.

"Hmm?!"

Chijin’s eyebrows raised as a malevolent erosion silently spread, subtly transforming and infiltrating, sending shivers down her spine!

She had a premonition that if this force infiltrated her, she might be "replaced" without anyone noticing, becoming someone else entirely!

"Could it be that what he said was true... that there really is a malevolent force targeting him?"

Chijin murmured, recalling the past seven days of discussing the Dao with Ji Jingqiu.

On the third day, Ji Jingqiu suddenly opened his eyes, his brows deeply furrowed, looking around with a rare loss of composure!

Afterward, he asked Chijin if she had sensed a strong malice. At the time, Chijin replied that this place was the main temple of the Cang Qing lineage, and no one could spy on them without the Cang Qing lineage noticing.

She even mocked Ji Jingqiu for having problems with his spiritual cultivation, experiencing hallucinations.

Was this what he meant by "Guarding Void and Stillness"?

Ji Jingqiu glanced at her, sighed lightly, and said he truly envied her.

At the time, she didn’t understand the true meaning. Now, it was clear that this was a mocking statement, envying her "naivety" and even her "ignorance is bliss"!

Chijin clenched her teeth. This bastard... she had never met anyone more arrogant and conceited than him!

At this moment, Chijin’s mind sought shelter in the chaotic will of the Great Void Heaven, forcefully tracing the source of this malice.

This malice was likely the potential enemy her father often mentioned!

But the next moment, even with her mind in harmony with the heavens, Chijin’s expression suddenly changed.

Tracing the intense malice, she didn’t see the true form of the enemy but fell into a bottomless abyss, unable to extricate herself!

The only thing she could sense was that the enemy seemed to be asleep, still in a state of passive "feeding", and she had delivered herself to it.

This made Chijin’s mind waver. Just the passive instinct had such unfathomable power?

As the situation became increasingly perilous, Chijin felt a surge of power from the Great Void Heaven, along with a stabilizing presence like a pillar anchoring the sea.

Chijin’s expression remained cold, and instead of retreating, she advanced, continuing to channel the power of the Great Void Heaven to trace the source.

She knew that Azure Sovereign was lending her the power of the World Tree through the Great Void Heaven, allowing her to lock onto the enemy.

This also meant...

Azure Sovereign, who was always nearby, hadn’t sensed the anomaly but had noticed her condition and decided to lend her his power.

Chijin’s heart felt heavy. Her father was right; there was a hidden great enemy lurking behind the scenes in this world!

This mysterious space seemed to be deep within the Misty Sea. Chijin, using the power of Azure Sovereign and the Great Void Heaven, pushed her Divine Light to its limits, like the sun illuminating all, but now it was shrouded in darkness.

"Abandon your efforts and retreat. Do not be reckless. Your goal has been achieved."

A solemn voice echoed in Chijin’s mind, coming from Cang Qing.

At this moment.

The other Saints in the hall were startled to see Chijin, who had been smoothly opening her path, suddenly close her eyes, her aura becoming extremely abnormal and fluctuating.

Meanwhile, Cang Qing, who wasn’t present, suddenly appeared beside Chijin, guarding her with a cold expression.

At the same time, Holy King, who had his back to everyone, had his hands, which had been behind his back, quietly dropped.

The situation seemed to take a sudden turn for the worse!

"What’s going on?"

Kong Xuan frowned, sensing the abnormality and the tense atmosphere, but even he couldn’t pinpoint the source.

"Brother Saint, what are you doing?"

A mental fluctuation suddenly erupted from a floating jade bottle.

Holy King remained silent, not even turning his head.

Void Emperor, the most sensitive to the void, first gave a cold look at Holy King and Cang Qing, seemingly annoyed by their secrecy, then scanned the other Saints with a murderous intent, expressing his stance.

He then focused his attention on the three True Emperors from outside the world.

Chijin reluctantly retreated.

At this moment.

She sensed the Great Dao’s call from the Grand Cosmos.

Had Ji Jingqiu already begun?

...

In the hall.

A True Emperor suddenly stood up, his expression changing dramatically.

"The third heavenly change?"

"No... it’s not time yet!"

"What’s happening?"

Even the Saints in the hall could sense the distinct abnormality, a tremor from the Grand Cosmos!

This tremor seemed to come from the fundamental rules of the Grand Cosmos!

The third heavenly change?!

It’s far too early for that!

Even the well-informed Saints were momentarily baffled.

A True Emperor tried to "palm view" the Grand Cosmos to investigate, but found the hall’s array blocking his efforts.

"Holy King! The situation is special; please let us leave. We will not interfere with your daughter Chijin’s breakthrough!"

A True Emperor spoke up.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end