CHAPTER 183: THE REINCARNATION DAO EVERYONE SEEKS

"Grandpa Feng..." Lu Chen stared blankly as Feng Tiancheng left, muttering, "What's wrong with Grandpa Feng? Why did he just... walk away in the middle of our conversation?"

Bai Ze sighed softly, his voice lowering as he watched Feng Tiancheng fade into the distance. "Lord Seventh must have remembered that incident. If it hadn't happened, he might have ascended as an emperor as well. What a pity..."

Lu Chen turned to him. "That incident? What incident? I can tell you're all avoiding the subject. What could have happened that you're all so unwilling to talk about?"

From behind Flame Demon, Metal General suddenly blurted out, "It's all because of Matriarch Seventh—"

"Metal General, silence!" Flame Demon snapped, striking him sharply. "Lord Seventh's matters are not yours to meddle in!"

"What? I just meant that if not for Matriarch Seventh, he wouldn't have given up his mastery over artifacts, nor pursued the elusive Dao of Reincarnation—"

Boom!

Before he could finish, Flame Demon struck him with a palm wreathed in spirit qi, hurling him backward. "I'll say this once more. You have no right to speak of Lord Seventh's affairs. Now shut your mouth!"

Metal General reverted to his human form. Clutching his chest, he said, "I—"

"No matter," Feng Tiancheng said, his voice drifting back from the direction of the Thirty-Three Mountains, calm yet tinged with helplessness. "It's all in the past. Speak of it if you must. If it helps you in searching for the Dao of Reincarnation, all the better."

At his words, cold sweat broke out across Flame Demon's forehead. "N-no, Lord Seventh, we wouldn't dare speak carelessly of your matters. But rest assured, we will give our all to find the Dao of Reincarnation."

Perhaps it was the desolate tone in Feng Tiancheng's voice, or perhaps it was their own yearning for the Dao of Reincarnation, but one by one the beast leaders and chieftains bowed toward the Thirty-Three Mountains. "We will devote ourselves fully to the search. If there is even the slightest chance, please, do not give up, my Lord. Matriarch Seventh will surely return. The other lords will return from the Dao of Reincarnation as well."

"Heh... the hope is still far too slim. No matter. I thank you all in advance."

With that, Feng Tiancheng fell silent. Flame Demon cast one last look at Lu Chen before leading the remaining beast chieftains back into the elemental pits they used for cultivation.

"My king, you need not concern yourself with the Dao of Reincarnation. That is for us to pursue. What you should focus on now is your cultivation. I have felt uneasy for the past few days... I sense something is about to happen."

He bowed briefly and walked toward the spirit herb fields. The other beast leaders also saluted Lu Chen before leaving for their cultivation grounds. To them, only greater strength could bring their vows to fruition.

Wind Dragon appeared beside Lu Chen, splitting off a new Sunken Core Realm clone. "Little Lu, I should go as well. I'm on the verge of breaking into the Core Breakthrough Realm. Once I succeed, I'll join you in training. For now, let this clone accompany you."

"Alright, Wind Dragon, but don't take too long." Lu Chen lifted the clone onto his head with a smile. "You can't imagine what I've gone through these past days. It's been way more intense than anything I've seen or done in Greenheaven Village in over ten years there."

Wind Dragon laughed, patting his shoulder. "Of course. It's only natural you'd see more. Once you begin roaming the continent, you'll encounter even greater wonders. Now, I must return to cultivate."

After another pat on the shoulder, Wind Dragon vanished into the wood-element pit.

"That's it? Everyone's gone?" Lu Chen glanced around. The core area had fallen silent. "Everyone's focused on cultivation. I suppose our time really is limited."

He walked the small world. As Feng Tiancheng had described, despite the intrusion of Void energy, it hadn't changed much. After circling it a few times, he stopped at the base of the Thirty-Three Mountains.

Staring up at the first peak, he murmured, "The Thirty-Three Mountains... I can't see what lies within, but judging from what Flame Demon said, someone must be buried here. No wonder they're all chasing after the Dao of Reincarnation.

"But does it even exist? I hope it does. If I could master it, maybe everyone in Greenheaven Village could return."

Then he laughed softly. "Haha... regardless of whether it truly exists or not, I've already chosen to believe. One day, the villagers will come back."

With that, he left the small world, unaware that Feng Tiancheng was silently watching atop the first mountain.

Feng Tiancheng's gaze lingered on the spot where Lu Chen had vanished, pondering. Little Lu comes from the same village as the original.

He arrived in this world just as a golden age was about to dawn. In mere days, he encountered so much: the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, primordial spirit qi, the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon, the power of the Void, the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline, the Fire Phoenix Jade Token, and even temporal power.

Any one of these would be enough to propel a cultivator toward the Divine Core Realm. Yet now, all of them have taken root in Little Lu. Even the simplest among them far surpasses what most could ever hope to scratch the surface of, even back in my era.

"Little Lu, you have cultivated for only half a year, and you have already managed to gather such extraordinary forces. Just how far will you go? I can't help but look forward to it."

Still gazing at the spot where Lu Chen had vanished, Feng Tiancheng whispered to himself and to the Tombs of Heroes behind him, "Perhaps you will be the one to uncover the ultimate Dao of Reincarnation."

A gentle breeze stirred. Mist rolled down the Thirty-Three Mountains. Feng Tiancheng let out a long sigh before fading into the fog.

***

On the second floor of the Scripture Hall.

The moment Lu Chen returned to the outside world, the surrounding spatial barriers collapsed, and time returned to its normal flow. Jun Laoye and the others appeared beside him.

Jun Laoye called out anxiously, "Little Lu, are you alright? What just happened? Why are we here? And how is everything back to normal?"

He swept his gaze across the hall but found not a single trace of damage. "Could it be that what we experienced just now was an illusion?"

Lu Chen chuckled softly and gave Nantian Wan'er a wink. "What we went through was real. But since we've already obtained what we wanted, whether it was an illusion or not doesn't matter anymore."

Clearing his throat, he turned to Jun Laoye. "By the way, do you still need the secret manuals here? If so, you should take them now."

"No need." Jun Laoye shook his head, dispersing the divine ability spear in his hand. "I've already found a cultivation path that suits me. For now, I'll stick to the most basic spear skills. Practicing spells would only hold me back."

"The basic spear skills?" Lu Chen looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure you don't need the manuals?"

He had just noticed that Jun Laoye's entire bearing had changed. He now stood like a spear himself, sharp, steady, and brimming with intent.

Lu Chen's Divine Eye on his forehead opened of its own accord, and the world grew sharper before him. Faint strands of lightning coiled around Jun Laoye's body, seeping through his pores and even flaring from his nostrils.

"Little Jun, have you broken through?"

"Hehehe, you noticed." Jun Laoye grinned. "I don't know what exactly happened, but everything that occurred was real. I'm now at the fifth level of the Qi Regulation Realm, nearly on par with you."

He raised his palm, releasing a wisp of lightning. "This is primordial lightning qi. With it, my cultivation will progress a hundred, no, a thousand times faster. Once I achieve Man-Spear Unity and comprehend the Dao of the Spear[1], I can convert all my spirit qi into primordial lightning qi. I've gained the most this time, so I don't need any more spells. How about it, Little Lu? Impressive, right?"

"Primordial lightning qi... that is indeed remarkable."

As Lu Chen watched the lightning dance across Jun Laoye's body, the Acquired Green Sovereign Divine Tree within his Heavenly Pool suddenly stirred. A vine extended from behind him, quietly absorbing a portion of the primordial lightning qi from Jun Laoye.

The lightning entered Lu Chen's body, coursing through his meridians for several cycles. Part of it flowed into the Acquired Divine Tree, replacing the ordinary lightning-attribute spirit qi it had absorbed before. Another part slipped through the cracks of the Eternal Twilight Imperial City into the small world, merging with the Innate Divine Tree.

The twin Green Sovereign Divine Trees within the two worlds breathed in unison, refining the primordial lightning qi.

In just a few breaths, the quality of the lightning qi inside Lu Chen had improved drastically. The new primordial lightning qi replaced the old and began circulating endlessly within him.

Lu Chen let out a soft laugh. Extending his right hand, he released a stream of the newly refined primordial lightning qi toward Jun Laoye.

Sensing the spirit qi, Jun Laoye's eyes widened. "Huh? Why does it feel like the surrounding lightning has grown stronger? This... this is even purer than my primordial lightning qi. And this energy... It seems drawn to me. Wait, it even carries my aura? What is going on?"

Lu Chen nudged him with a smile. "Haha, it's even better if it carries your aura. There's no need to waste time converting it. Just absorb it all and raise the quality of your lightning qi."

Jun Laoye nodded and quickly sat down cross-legged, drawing in the lightning around him.

1. The ultimate path or principle of the spear. Not just the techniques, but the philosophy, essence, and way of cultivation through the spear. ☜