Chapter 2494: Emperor's Dao and Nourishment

On this journey, there was no further conversation. The two immortals seemed quite idle that night, one on each side, protecting Ye Chen in the middle as they made their way toward a mountain peak. It wasn't that they were truly idle; they simply wanted to take a look at that trace of Di Yun.

In the night, many diligent Hua Shan disciples were still cultivating, with quite a few sitting cross-legged on the stones along the mountain paths. When they saw the three approaching, they thought they were seeing things and froze for a moment before hurriedly standing up to bow to the two great immortals.

"Continue your cultivation."

Hua Shan Zhen Ren said with a smile, waving his hand.

After the three had passed, the Hua Shan disciples gathered together, staring in astonishment in that direction.

"He must be the one that the Dao Jing recognized as its master."

"Indeed, he's just a little stone spirit. But wasn't he in the Ling Xu realm? How did he become a Sheng Ren?"

"Could it be that he's the one who broke through four realms in a single day?"

The disciples chattered away, one after another, their voices filled with shock. They had all heard tales of this little stone spirit, and seeing him tonight confirmed his extraordinary nature. From the way the two great immortals treated him—with such high regard, personally escorting him—it was clear what a great honor that was.

By then, Ye Chen and the others had already reached the mountain peak. This mountain was known as Chi Yan Feng, a peak exclusively assigned to Ye Chen. Though Chi Yan Feng wasn't particularly large, it was quite remarkable. True to its name, from a distance, it looked like a blazing red flame burning fiercely, standing out prominently in the night. Even before getting close, waves of scorching heat rushed toward them.

"How interesting," Ye Chen remarked, scanning his surroundings with deep eyes. Chi Yan Feng was intensely hot, and outsiders might assume it contained true fire. In reality, it did not—the flames were due to a Dao Yun, specifically a surge of fire-based Dao Yun, which created this extraordinary phenomenon.

"This mountain will be your cultivation abode from now on," Hua Shan Zhen Ren said with a smile. "Rest well today, and tomorrow, take a tour around Hua Shan. Unless there's something important, don't leave Hua Shan."

"Thank you, senior." Ye Chen cupped his hands in respect, understanding the implied meaning. Hua Shan Zhen Ren was advising him to stay for his own safety. Without even checking, Ye Chen knew there were ill-intentioned people lurking outside, just waiting for him to step out so they could seize his Dao Jing.

However, Hua Shan Zhen Ren's concerns were unnecessary. This was the San Xian realm, where cultivation levels were suppressed, and the Sheng Ren realm was the pinnacle. Ye Chen was in the Sheng Ren realm and an exceptionally powerful one at that. Snatching the Dao Jing from him would require more than just one or two opponents—at least an entire army.

And that army would need to be on the level of Hua Shan Xian Zi at minimum. Even then, they might not defeat him, let alone capture him.

Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi had left, or at least appeared to have done so. In truth, they were secretly observing—one to examine Ye Chen's Di Yun and the Dao Jing, and the other to ensure this little stone spirit didn't slip away unnoticed. Outside, those people were viciously dangerous.

Ye Chen had already pulled out his wine flask and was wandering around the mountain. At the summit, there was a grove of purple bamboo, and deep within the bamboo's shade stood a row of bamboo houses, offering a serene quiet. Besides that, spiritual flowers, exotic herbs, and spirit fruit trees were planted all over the mountain, enveloped in immortal Qi and brimming with life force, making the entire Chi Yan Feng hazy and ethereal.

After downing a flask of wine, he sat down under an old tree, took out a piece of wood, and held a carving knife in one hand, quietly carving away. Each stroke he made carried a wisp of Dao Yun.

In secret, Hua Shan Zhen Ren and Hua Shan Xian Zi watched with expressions of surprise. Having obtained the Di Yun and the Dao Jing, why wasn't he properly comprehending them? Instead, he was carving wood—who had that much free time?

Little did they know, Ye Chen was already in the midst of comprehension. He carved the wood while studying the Dao Jing—one for self-cultivation and the other to explore the great Dao.

The Dao Jing was truly extraordinary, and with the Di Yun integrated into it, it was even more so. The Di Yun, the Dao Jing, and his own Dao had merged as one. He could easily touch upon the great Dao and sense a powerful force within himself, like a wellspring.

The night passed without incident, and dawn arrived in the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, before the sky was fully bright, Ye Chen descended from Chi Yan Feng. He was truly following instructions—Hua Shan Zhen Ren had told him to explore, so he came down for a stroll.

Hua Shan was vast, with over a hundred thousand peaks and numerous main peaks. Each peak represented a branch of the Hua Shan lineage, and without asking, one could tell that the peak masters were all Hua Shan elders who taught and guided disciples. Every so often, each peak held competitions, rewarding and focusing on cultivating the outstanding disciples.

This was the sect's standard method to motivate disciples in their cultivation.

Wandering along the winding mountain paths, Ye Chen was indeed sightseeing, but he was also observing everything along the way.

The hundred thousand peaks formed a massive array, a grand formation with a hundred thousand array points. The Hua Shan main peak served as the central array point, perfectly utilizing heaven, earth, and human advantages—three parts for defense and seven for offense. The array patterns were densely packed, all at the emperor-level Dao, making it impregnable and versatile.

A sect like Hua Shan, if placed in the various heavens, would be a major power, with foundations even more terrifying than those of sacred lands.

"Impressive."

This single word was Ye Chen's evaluation of Hua Shan. No wonder they feared no heavenly court. Their overall combat strength might not match the heavenly court's, but conquering Hua Shan would be no easy feat for them.

"Look, that's him—the one who fused with the Dao Jing and broke through four realms in a day."

"He's really a prodigy! I heard the sect leader granted him Chi Yan Feng. That's some serious favoritism!"

"Clearly, they're grooming him as a Hua Shan successor."

"Just the fact that the Dao Jing recognized him proves how exceptional he is. If I were the sect leader, I'd treat him like a treasure too."

As Ye Chen walked, he drew a lot of attention. Whether elders or disciples, those who spotted him from afar pointed and whispered, some with envy, some with jealousy, and most with shock. The Dao Jing recognizing a master and breaking through four realms in a day—Hua Shan couldn't find another like him. If they knew about the Di Yun, their jaws would drop even further.

"What a talented bunch!"

While the disciples and elders discussed him, Ye Chen was observing them. Along his path, he saw no fewer than a thousand special bloodlines, some incredibly powerful. Gathering so many talents was why Hua Shan was renowned throughout the heavenly realms.

Behind him, quite a few people followed—disciples and elders alike. It was because the Dao Jing resided within him, naturally emitting the sounds of the great Dao, which were profoundly mysterious. Everywhere he went, even the plants gained a touch of spirituality. The disciples trailed him, hoping to gain insights.

Ye Chen didn't mind; he let the sounds of the great Dao manifest, forging good karma.

Rounding a bend at the foot of a mountain, he performed the Zhou Tian divination again, deducing Shangguan Yu's fate. It was turbulent but without mortal danger. Yin Ming was currently obsessed with the Dao Jing and had no time to torment Shangguan Yu.

This period would give him time to grow. If he acted, he'd do it decisively. Without sufficient strength, he wouldn't go to the heavenly court seeking trouble.

As he spoke to himself, he stopped in front of a massive pavilion, as grand as a mountain, towering and majestic, divided into nine levels from bottom to top.

This was Hua Shan's Cang Jing Ge, filled with secret scrolls detailing the heavenly realms. He came here to study the heavenly court in preparation for the future.

Guarding the Cang Jing Ge was an acquaintance—the portly Daoist who had once tried to hack him with a twenty-meter sword. His Dao title was Di Yuan, a Zhen Ren of the same generation as Hua Shan Zhen Ren.

When Ye Chen entered, the man was sprawled on the desk, snoring like thunder, his massive bulk shaking the entire Cang Jing Ge. He looked like a heap of flesh.

Sensing someone enter, Di Yuan Zhen Ren woke up, glanced at Ye Chen, and his eyes lit up. He immediately extended his hand.

"Bring out the Dao Jing for me to see."

"Sure."

Ye Chen smiled and produced the Dao Jing. He quite liked Di Yuan Zhen Ren—his demeanor was similar to Pang Da Chuan's, with a kind face that just begged for a good kick.

Di Yuan Zhen Ren chuckled gleefully, quickly took the Dao Jing, glanced at it, and raised his eyebrows. Then he narrowed his eyes, detecting the aura of Di Yun—and it was Hua Shan's Di Yun. He was utterly shocked for a moment.

Ye Chen just smiled without a word and turned to walk away.

The first level of the Cang Jing Ge was vast, with many scrolls, but most were unnutritious accounts of geography and culture. The second level held low-tier cultivation techniques; the third, mid-tier secret arts; the fourth featured array formations; and the fifth contained immortal techniques, though not at the emperor-level Dao.

He headed straight to the sixth level. Glancing around, there were countless scrolls, the shelves packed with ancient tomes from unknown eras.

He casually picked one, which introduced the ranks of the heavenly court officials.

He grabbed another, detailing the heavenly court's rules.

Beyond that, information on the immortals of the heavenly court was basically all here on the sixth level, described in great detail, right down to their ancestors' eighteen generations. It was clear that Hua Shan's intelligence network was top-notch.

"Only up to the third level is allowed without the sect leader's permission." Di Yuan Zhen Ren's voice came from below.

Ye Chen didn't need him to say it—he had already noticed.

The light gate leading from the sixth to the seventh level was sealed with restrictions. He had no interest in going up; what he wanted was the scrolls on the heavenly court.

In an instant, he summoned three thousand clones, sending them to scour the corners of the sixth level. To gather information efficiently, more hands meant better results.

The Cang Jing Ge was quiet, with few visitors. Those who came usually stayed on the lower five levels, seeking cultivation techniques or secret arts, mostly new recruits full of curiosity.

Enjoying the rare peace, Ye Chen took his time, squatting by the shelves and reading one scroll after another. He wasn't just skimming—he etched each page into his divine sea with a glance, planning to digest it all later. He aimed to thoroughly understand the heavenly court through this preparation.

Down below, Di Yuan Zhen Ren had created a clone to guard the pavilion while his true self sat in meditation, comprehending the Dao. He wasn't unfamiliar with the Dao Jing, but ones like this that still existed in the world were truly profound, especially with the integrated Di Yun.

Another day passed, and he remained in meditation while Ye Chen stayed put.

It wasn't until the second morning that someone entered the sixth level—or rather, passed through it from the seventh.

It was a young man with purple hair, dressed in a disciple's robe, his eyes like stars and his black hair like a waterfall. Subtle phenomena surrounded him, faintly visible, perfectly matching his imposing presence.

Ye Chen couldn't help but glance at him, for the young man's bloodline was the Tai Ji Zhen Ti, the same as Liu Yi's reincarnated form.

As Ye Chen looked, the purple-haired youth also turned his gaze, his expression indifferent and laced with contempt. He only gave a brief glance before heading downstairs. He hadn't met Ye Chen before and wasn't surprised—Hua Shan's Dao discussions often attracted outside talents, so he was used to it.

"Am I that weak?" Ye Chen muttered with a pout, then continued reading. He had no idea where this purple-haired youth got his confidence from—that single look of disdain was quite irritating.

"Boss, it's a portrait of your wife."

A call came from a corner.

Hearing this, Ye Chen instantly appeared there.

He saw one of his clones holding a painting, staring at it with gleaming eyes, completely captivated because the woman in the painting was stunningly beautiful.

Looking at the woman, she bore an exact resemblance to Chu Xuan and Chu Ling—at first glance, they seemed to be the same person.

Ye Chen approached and smacked that clone back to its origin.

Taking the scroll, Ye Chen's expression turned peculiar. He had bought a similar one in Chen Tang Guan before, and it looked quite alike. From the brushwork, it seemed painted by the same person.

"Don't slack off," Ye Chen casually instructed the clones before taking the painting and heading down.

Below, Di Yuan Zhen Ren's true self was still sitting in meditation, while his clone lounged comfortably, legs crossed, snacking on sunflower seeds with utmost ease. With a couple of attendants, it was quite the scene.

"Oh, finished already?" Di Yuan's clone asked with a smile.

"Elder, do you recognize the woman in this painting?" Ye Chen unrolled the scroll.

"I don't know. It was painted by one of Hua Shan's senior brothers—he might know."

"Thank you, elder." Ye Chen put away the painting and left, intending to chat with Hua Shan Zhen Ren. He had a feeling that the woman in the painting was connected to Chu Xuan and Chu Ling.

As soon as he stepped out of the Cang Jing Ge, someone blocked his path.

It was the purple-haired youth from before—the one who had given him that contemptuous look on the sixth level. This time, his intentions were clearly unfriendly.

Indeed, the purple-haired youth was here for trouble.

He had been in seclusion in the Cang Jing Ge for days, and upon emerging, he heard about the Hua Shan Dao discussion—how the Dao Jing had recognized a master, and that master was a Ling Xu realm stone spirit who had broken through four realms in a day. Proud of his own exceptional talent, he was unconvinced.

His background was no simple matter, and his appearance drew a crowd of disciples, especially the female ones, who gazed at him with adoring eyes, utterly enamored.

"When did Hua Yang senior brother emerge from seclusion? His cultivation has advanced even further."

"Hua senior brother's talent ranks among the top in the San Xian realm. This level of achievement is expected."

"He's blocking the little stone spirit—is this leading to a fight?"

The gathered disciples murmured, watching from afar and pointing. Even Di Yuan Zhen Ren raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing over before closing his eyes again.

Clearly, a fight was brewing, but he had no intention of intervening. He wanted to see Ye Chen's strength—after all, being recognized by the Dao Jing and breaking through four realms in a day should mean he had some real skill.

"Junior brother, care for a spar?" Hua Yang said indifferently, his gaze on Ye Chen still filled with contempt, his eyes brimming with arrogance. In the San Xian realm, there were few peers he respected, and Ye Chen wasn't one of them.

"Sure." Ye Chen smiled, sizing up Hua Yang and looking for the best spot to strike. He was thinking about where a single slap could send this handsome guy flying straight into the sky.