Talisman Emperor

After the time for an incense stick to burn, Little Bao returned with a jug of Dragon Blood.

After Chen Xi asked him about it, Chen Xi and the others finally found out that Little Bao’s discussion of the Dao with the Ancestral Dragon Daolord was unlike Dong Bowen and Senior White, and it was conducted in the form of a battle.

Moreover, the opponent was himself!

When he arrived on the bronze coffin, his mind fell into a mysterious space. Within that space was an opponent that was exactly similar to Little Bao, and it was his own ‘reflection’.

Merely the time for an incense stick to burn had passed for Chen Xi, but to Little Bao that was fighting his own ‘reflection’, it felt long like countless years had passed.

Because this battle was too intense. Attaining victory against his own ‘reflection’ was like defeating himself.

Every single move he made and even every single thought he had was reflected on his ‘opponent’. So, the more he wanted to defeat his opponent, the more he was unable to accomplish this.

Later on, he finally comprehended the profundities of ‘forgetting one’s self’ in battle, and he defeated his opponent. He defeated his own ‘reflection’.

After Little Bao experienced this battle, Chen Xi clearly sensed that Little Bao’s mental state had obtained a form of tempering and improvement, and it was definitely extremely beneficial to Little Bao’s future cultivation.

Not long after Little Bao returned, Ye Yan returned as well. Moreover, she brought back a strand of Dragon Quintessence with her. So, she could be said to have succeeded in the discussion of the Dao as well.

According to Ye Yan, she hadn’t said a single word from the beginning until the end. She merely sat cross-legged there. It was like she’d had a dream, and it was over when she awoke from the dream.

As for exactly what sort of dream she had, even she was unable to recall it. It seemed to be extremely strange and mysterious.

But there was no doubt that all of this was done by the Ancestral Dragon Daolord. Since he’d given the Dragon Quintessence to Ye Yan, then it proved that Ye Yan had obtained his acknowledgement.

At this point, Dong Bowen had obtained the string of Dragon Soul, Senior White had obtained the Dragon Heart, Little Bao had obtained the jug of Dragon Blood, and Ye Yan had obtained the strand of Dragon Quintessence.

This supreme fortune seemed to have been completely divided up, and it wasn’t related to Chen Xi any longer.

However, Chen Xi didn’t think in this way. Because, in his eyes, the fortune he sought was different from all of this.

…

Chen Xi didn’t hesitate at all and arrived on the bronze coffin.

As soon as he arrived, he noticed how unusual the bronze coffin was. Standing on it was like standing in an expanse of ‘chaos’. Hazy divine aura and strands of the glow of the Dao filled his field of vision, and it seemed extremely mysterious.

It was even to the extent that in his daze, Chen Xi had the strange feeling of returning to the source of the Grand Dao.

The figure formed from the Ancestral Dragon Daolord’s Will Brand sat cross-legged here, and at this moment, Chen Xi finally saw his face clearly.

He had a thin face, greying hair, and a pair of eyes that were deep to the point they seemed like the door to hell and could swallow the souls of others!

Merely based on outward appearance alone, it was utterly impossible to discern that this was an innate god born from within the Chaos. Conversely, he seemed like a wise old man that had lived for countless years and experienced all the matters of the world, so all secrets were unable to escape his discerning eyes.

While Chen Xi was sizing up the Ancestral Dragon Daolord, the latter was sizing him up as well, and the Ancestral Dragon Daolord’s deep eyes flowed with the glow of wisdom.

After a long time, the Ancestral Dragon Daolord said, “Your destiny is actually so impossible to determine. What an interesting little fellow.”

He paused for a moment, and then he suddenly sighed and said, “You should leave. You can only stride on your path towards the Dao by yourself, and all the fortune I left behind has already been given away. I don’t have anything else to pass down to you.”

Chen Xi’s expression was calm when he heard this, and he seemed to not be surprised at all. He sat down cross-legged instead and gazed at the Ancestral Dragon Daolord as he said, “Senior has probably seen through my origins. To tell you the truth, I didn’t come here this time with the expectation of obtaining any fortune.”

“Oh?” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord revealed a smile that carried deep meaning. “Then what do you want to obtain from me?”

“I just want to know how Senior fell all those years ago.” Chen Xi said frankly, “Everything is searching for success, but I’m clearly aware that the failure of a Daolord might be even more worthy of attention.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the Ancestral Dragon Daolord revealed a serious expression while divine radiance arose in his eyes, and it flickered with an extremely horrifying glow.

He stared silently at Chen Xi for a long time, and then he suddenly roared with laughter. His voice carried a wisp of sorrow and a wisp of indescribable emotion. He seemed to be sighing with emotion yet seemed to be sad at the same time. It was extremely complicated.

“I never expected that a little fellow at the advanced-stage of the Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm like you would have actually started to plan his path to become a Daolord. If it was any other person, I would definitely snort with contempt and berate that person for reaching beyond his grasp. But you… are clearly different.”

After a short while, the Ancestral Dragon Daolord spoke slowly. “Because you’re a Comprehender of the River Diagram, so it’s within reason that you’re able to consider it to this extent.”

Chen Xi smiled and looked silently at the Ancestral Dragon Daolord, and he didn’t deny this.

“I still remember that the fifth Comprehender of the River Diagram was the Master of the Ninth Hell, Gu Changsheng. The seventh Comprehender was the Master of the Manku Period, Xuan. The eighth Comprehender was the Master of Oracle Mountain, Fuxi. You… are probably the ninth Comprehender, right?” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord spoke with great interest. Even though he was only a Will Brand, he actually seemed to possess supreme intelligence, and every single word spoke and move he made was actually no different than a living person.

This caused Chen Xi to be slightly moved. Because for the very first time, he found out that the fifth Comprehender of the River Diagram was actually the Master of the Ninth Hell, Gu Changsheng!

He’d never heard of this name.

“Yes.” Chen Xi nodded after a short while.

“No wonder. If you were the first to discuss the Dao with me, then perhaps I wouldn’t hesitate to give all the fortune I left behind to you. Unfortunately, the god of destiny just happens to play tricks on us all.” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord shook his head in a slightly regretful manner. “But this is normal as well. Since you possess the River Diagram’s inheritance, you naturally attach no importance to the things I’ve left behind. Not to mention that I’m a failure beneath the Heaven Dao in the end, and the possessions of a failure isn’t really precious to you.”

These words caused Chen Xi to be stunned instead, and he laughed bitterly after a short while. “Senior, you’re belittling yourself improperly. The reason I came here the last was merely because I seek something different from all of them, and I absolutely have no intention to be disrespectful or look down upon Senior.”

The Ancestral Dragon Daolord roared with laughter and said, “You seek something different! This world is full of people that seek success, yet only you seek failure. I’ll do as you wish just because of that!”

When he spoke up to here, he suddenly changed the topic, and he gazed at Chen Xi with a solemn expression as he said, “Little Fellow, before I do that, I want to ask you something. Since you started cultivating until now, what’s your opinion of the Heaven Dao?”

Chen Xi was stunned. Is this a question about my understanding of the Heaven Dao?

For a time, Chen Xi fell into silence, and he said after a long time, “I’m sorry, I’m unable to describe it.”

The Ancestral Dragon Daolord seemed to be slightly disappointed.

However, right when he was about to speak, he heard Chen Xi say. “However, in my opinion, if the Heaven Dao obstructs my path towards the Dao one day, then it’s my enemy. So long as I’m still living, then I’ll defeat it and succeed in my path towards the Dao!”

If these words were heard by other cultivators, they would definitely berate Chen Xi was speaking such defiant words! Because it was simply like treason!

It was the Heaven Dao, an existence that was the most supreme and unfathomable!

Would anyone in the world dare to speak of taking the Heaven Dao to be his enemy and express intent to defeat it? 

Moreover, standing above the Heaven Dao with one’s own path towards the Dao seemed to be extremely arrogant and conceited as well. If any cultivator dared to speak such nonsense, that cultivator would definitely suffer the punishment of the heavens!

At this moment, when he heard Chen Xi’s words, the Ancestral Dragon Daolord revealed a rare moment of silence as well, and his expression changed indeterminately. He was unable to maintain his calm any longer. 

After a long time, he suddenly roared with laughter, and his voice carried a wisp of a practically insane tone.

“I never expected this! I truly never expected that something I who have cultivated for countless years and even attained the Daolord Realm a very long time ago was unable to figure out was actually already figures out by a little fellow like you. No wonder that I suffered tribulation and was powerful to struggle free. No wonder….”

Chen Xi’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow when he heard this, and he faintly guessed some things.

His words from before were the true thoughts in his heart, and he hadn’t concealed anything. However, he would absolutely not speak these words at any ordinary time. Because if he did, then he would definitely be taken to be a lunatic.

But it was very clear that it was precisely these words that resonated with the Ancestral Dragon Daolord.

“Since I was able to comprehend this today, I can finally be free of all regrets….” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord suddenly stood up. His gaze burned while his grey hair fluttered, and his entire body emanated an aura of relief and transcendence.

“Little Fellow, with your current cultivation, it’s utterly impossible for you to discern he true reason that I fell. But this isn’t important, because so long as you hold on to the beliefs in your heart, then the day will come when you might really be able to attain that state which I was unable to attain.”

Rumble!

As he spoke, the Ancestral Dragon Daolord flicked his sleeve, and the bronze coffin beneath his feet suddenly emanated a world shacking rumble.

In the next instant, the bronze coffin that lay across the starry sky was suddenly suffused by extremely blazing divine radiance. In a short instant of time, it shrunk down countless times and actually transformed into an object that seemed like a bronze jade slip in the end, and then it fell into the Ancestral Dragon Daolord’s hand.

“What you desire is stored in here, and you’ll be able to open it and obtain what you desire once you’re attained the Daolord Realm.” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord grinned as he passed the bronze coffin that seemed to have become a jade slip to Chen Xi.

“Thank you for the gift, Senior.” Chen Xi hurriedly received it, and then he cupped his hands and bowed.

“Go on. I can really smile in hell after being able to encounter such an interesting little fellow like you right before I perish completely.” The Ancestral Dragon Daolord roared endlessly with laughter.

Along with this laughter, his entire figure actually transformed into droplets of light that gradually rained down and dispersed into the surroundings, and it quickly vanished completely.

“Take care, Senior.” Chen Xi cupped his hands once more. He was clearly aware that not a trace of the Ancestral Dragon Daolord could be found in the world after this….

The commotion here alarmed Senior White, Little Bao, Ye Yan, and Dong Bowen. All of them shot their gazes over in succession while revealing expressions of shock, and they didn’t know why such an unexpected event would occur.