Chapter 265: Changle Is Dead

The daylight was perfect.

Three suns, each occupying a corner of the sky, illuminated the verdant mountains in brilliant light.

In the distance, cloud cranes swept past the mountainside. Their clear cries echoed as their tail feathers trailed two faint streaks of cyan that lingered in the air.

Chen Lingxi stood at the cave entrance, sensing the wondrous fruit atop the Profound Root treasure tree within his Dao Platform.

It brimmed with Dao Origin and held various Dao marvels, aiding his comprehension of the Thunder Prison Heaven Great Divine Ability.

'How should I conduct myself in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm now?'

Having ascended to a brand-new realm, Chen Lingxi began to consider his next step.

'The Great Xuanzhuo Realm is vast and brimming with spiritual energy. With an Immortal Slough on me, I should be able to achieve something even if I just hole up in some random corner.'

He paused, then shook his head.

'But if I want to reach the Dao Foundation Middle Stage, I will still need a Great Divine Ability and the corresponding divine ability spiritual items.'

'Both of these are incredibly precious. If I just wait here peacefully, I will never find such treasures in this lifetime, leaving me no way to advance.'

'Moreover... the cultivation world possesses countless treasures, numerous profound Cauldron Vessels, and unimaginable Great Divine Abilities.'

'Hiding here might not be safe. Someone could easily use those profound methods to track down my location.'

Chen Lingxi lowered his head in thought. He had killed the avatars of countless experts back in that Grotto-Heaven.

The Southern Heaven Region, Ehai, Zhuran Star, the Yutai Bai family, and the Que Star Xi family.

The factions whose avatars died by his hands had undoubtedly kept a record of this debt.

If they found an opportunity to track him down and discovered he was completely alone, he would be doomed.

'Especially Bai Lingze.'

He narrowed his eyes.

'His true body likely possesses a Dao Foundation Late Stage cultivation in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. Furthermore, he has the backing of both the Yutai Bai family and the Que Star Xi family...'

At this thought, Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

'I still need to find a place of refuge.'

Chen Lingxi pondered.

There were countless profound sects in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm. Leaving aside the rest and just counting the ones he knew—the Under-Dao Academy, the Dragon-Revering Sect, the Southern Heaven Region, Ehai, Zhuran Star... not to mention the numerous small, unnamed factions—any single one of them was ten times grander than the forces he had encountered in the Grotto-Heaven.

'The Under-Dao Academy might be worth a try.'

Daoist Shu Rong had treated him kindly, and Lin Suri was a close friend.

Daoist Yaoguang of the Xuanzang Court had also wanted to take him in as a disciple. Thinking it over carefully, the Under-Dao Academy was indeed a good destination.

'However, although I've arrived in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, this world is vast. I have no idea where the Under-Dao Academy is, or even where I currently am.'

At this thought, Chen Lingxi stepped out of the cave. He circulated the Hidden Edge Method to conceal his aura as he walked into the clouds.

From an outsider's perspective, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary passing cultivator.

Only as he soared through the mist did he realize how massive the mountains in this part of the world were.

Each peak stood tens of thousands of zhang tall. From afar, every single one of them was a towering behemoth that pierced the heavens.

Chen Lingxi flew among the mountains, sensing their dense spiritual energy as he sped along.

The world was incredibly vast. Even at his current speed, he flew for a long time. It was only after he crossed several mountain ridges that the view ahead suddenly opened up.

A great river lay ahead. Its surface was extremely wide, likely spanning over a thousand li.

The river water was a deep, clear cyan, with white waves churning in the rapids. Several strange beasts—resembling oxen but with a single horn and singular hooves—were drinking by the riverbank. Hearing his approach, they bolted. Their hooves pounded the water's surface as if treading on flat ground, and they vanished in the blink of an eye.

Chen Lingxi paid them no mind.

He walked further along the riverbank before suddenly coming to a halt.

Far off in the distance, something hung in the sky.

It was impossibly massive.

Its sheer size bred a sense of unreality deep in his bones. He felt as if he had shrunk back into an ant at the foot of a mountain, craning his neck to look up at a stone stele piercing the clouds.

It was a dragon.

To be precise, it was the statue of a true dragon.

Forged from an unknown material, the entire statue was cyan-gold. Its head was held high, and its serpentine body coiled upward. Its five claws were either splayed or tucked within the clouds. Every single scale was the size of a mountain, gleaming with a heavy, cold light beneath the sun.

The statue hung suspended in the void. Its height was unknown—perhaps tens of thousands of li—connecting the heavens and the clouds, as if it spanned the entire sky of the Great Xuanzhuo Realm.

Even with his eyesight, Chen Lingxi surprisingly couldn't see where the dragon's tail ended.

He stood on the riverbank, head tilted back, and stared at it for a long time.

The wind blew in from the river, carrying the fishy scent of water and causing his robes to snap and flutter.

Then...

Atop the horns of this sky-piercing true dragon, Chen Lingxi saw three characters.

The characters were massive, radiating golden light and faintly exuding an oppressive pressure.

'So this is the Dragon-Revering Sect.'

Chen Lingxi narrowed his eyes.

'It seems Changle's obsession with Sun Observation Peak ran incredibly deep. Even when he protected and sent me to the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, he made sure I landed right in front of the Dragon-Revering Sect.'

Before Liu Changle's death, the one thing he constantly obsessed over, the one thing he couldn't let go of, and the one thing he urged Chen Lingxi never to forget, was this single matter.

If Chen Lingxi reached the Great Xuanzhuo Realm, he was to go to the Dragon-Revering Sect's Sun Observation Peak to shelter and look after that lineage on his behalf.

Chen Lingxi gazed at the true dragon statue suspended high in the celestial canopy, his thoughts swirling.

He still remembered the very last voice he heard before plummeting into the Pool of Reincarnation.

"Do not forget!"

Liu Changle's voice still echoed in his ears.

"I won't forget," Chen Lingxi said, withdrawing his gaze. He straightened his robes and continued walking forward.

'If this is the Dragon-Revering Sect, I can go look for Sun Observation Peak.'

'I can go see where Changle belonged...'

A glimmer of hope flashed in Chen Lingxi's eyes.

'Perhaps Changle's avatar in the Great Xuanzhuo Realm hasn't died.'

—

Dragon-Revering Sect, Sun Observation Peak.

A thin layer of mist gathered on the mountainside.

The spiritual energy within the Dragon-Revering Sect's territory was already incredibly dense. Although Sun Observation Peak was just an inconspicuous mountain among the sect's many peaks, it was still enveloped by the grand mountain-protecting array. Nourished day and night by spiritual veins, the mist in the mountains had taken on a spiritual nature. From afar, it looked like sheer gauze; up close, it felt as clean as if it had been washed. When it clung to one's clothes, it felt cool and carried a faint, lingering fragrance of vegetation.

At this moment, six people stood in a small, shaded valley on the northern side of the mountain.

Within the valley lay a grand array.

Zhu Qingjian had set up this array over three days and nights, using Sun Observation Peak's remaining spiritual veins as a foundation.

Six black stones were laid out at the array's core. Carved into them were three talismans—Suppress Spirit, Subdue Soul, and Guard Mind. They linked together layer upon layer, firmly locking down all auras within the array.

Inside the array rested a coffin.

The coffin was made of cyan wood and bore little decoration. A single talisman had been drawn on the lid in cinnabar, though its runes had dimmed.

The coffin lid was not yet closed.

Liu Changle lay inside.

Dressed in a grayish-white Daoist robe with his hands folded over his chest, his expression was peaceful, as if he had merely fallen asleep.

His face was far more emaciated than it had been in life. His cheekbones jutted out high, and his cheeks were deeply sunken. An unhealthy, ashen pallor seeped through his skin. His lips were slightly chapped, and the blood at the corners of his mouth had long been wiped clean.

Zhu Qingjian squatted beside the coffin. Gripping a damp handkerchief, she repeatedly wiped away the last traces of dirt from his forehead.

Behind her, Cheng Shiyan remained silent, simply standing quietly.

Wind funneled in through the valley entrance, lifting his robes.

The remaining four disciples stood scattered around.

Hua Liuli stood not far from Zhu Qingjian. Clad in a goose-yellow skirt with a soft sword hanging from her waist, her delicate face carried a touch of stubbornness.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she forcefully held back her tears.

She knew her martial uncle had actually passed away in seated meditation long ago. It was only to put up a false front that he had trapped his corpse within the Profound Spirit Hall. By using an array to burn the Dao Platform and Profound Root within his own body, he had fabricated the illusion that he was still alive, all to deter the cultivators of Yellow Luminary Peak.

He had also deceived these six disciples within the sect.

Ning Ya stood by her side. Lean and wiry, carrying a narrow saber on his back, his expression was solemn. Fire seemed to burn in his eyes, thick with deep-seated hatred.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yu and Zhao Lingzhi stood shoulder to shoulder outside the array. They remained silent, but a deep sense of confusion and fear was hidden in their eyes.

Martial Uncle Changle was dead.

How would the current Sun Observation Peak manage to survive in this treacherous Dragon-Revering Sect territory?

The six of them remained silent for a long time.

Cheng Shiyan finally spoke, his voice low. "Martial Uncle's parting letter stated that those who wish to may leave the mountain, and those who do not should temporarily hide.

"He has a good friend who will soon come to Sun Observation Peak to protect us."