Living in the deep palace

"This...this is..."

Tianyi Ancient Venerable stared in horror at Su Chen's array formation technique!
This...this is something that ordinary Great Luo Perfection cultivators simply cannot accomplish!
Use the universe as your battleground!
Normally, only the fifth realm can involve such powerful control over the rules; even the Great Luo Perfection achieved through array formations cannot do it.

"My lord! This formation...this formation..."

"This formation is called the Jianmu·Azure Sky·Guardian Dao Formation."

Su Chen said calmly.

"This formation is powered by the Jianmu axis of the Taiyi Dao Platform and presided over by me, Da Luo Dao Wei!"

"Unbreakable below the Fifth Realm!"

"Using this to protect the Star Sea may not be enough to stop the invasion of the Underworld Lotus Saint Lord, but other petty villains below the Fifth Realm will not be able to set foot in the Star Sea."

Gu Chenzi gasped!
Doesn't this mean that... this sea of ​​stars, under the protection of the Dao Ancestor, is already as solid as a rock?!

"Do not."

Su Chen shook his head, shattering his illusion.

His gaze was extremely solemn.

"This can only stop those below the fifth realm."

"But it couldn't stop the fifth realm."

Su Chen slowly opened his hands.

In his palm, the jet-black lotus petal, which he had seized from the incarnation of the Underworld Lotus Saint, lay quietly.

It was slightly warm.

“He knows I’m here.” Su Chen’s voice was icy.

“That true form of the fifth realm, namely the Holy Lord of the Underworld Lotus, had already ‘seen’ me the moment I killed Tian’e and ignited the Jianmu tree.”

"This protective array cannot stop him."

Su Chen said calmly, "It can only buy us time."

"Gu Chenzi".

"The disciple is here!"

"From this day forward, you shall be the Acting Palace Master of the Taiyi Dao Palace. Recruit disciples widely, propagate my immortal path, and strengthen the origins of the star sea!"

"Dragon Emperor of the East Sea, Heavenly Venerable of Ten Thousand Jun..."

"We're waiting!"

"You twenty Venerable Ones are guardian deities. You are responsible for guarding the nodes of the Dao array, educating the new immortals, and resisting chaos!"

"As ordered!"

Su Chen issued the decree.

He entrusted the tasks of preaching and protecting the faith to his most trusted subordinates.

And he himself...

Su Chen slowly sat cross-legged again in the center of the Taiyi Dao Platform.

"I need to go into seclusion."

"I need true fulfillment."

His cultivation level at the late stage of the Great Luo realm was not enough.

His self-destructive "Waste" principle is not yet complete.

His authority over order has not yet been fully integrated.

He has not yet deciphered the key to the fifth realm (the lotus petal)!
"The Holy Lord of the Underworld Lotus..."

Su Chen closed his eyes, gripping the lotus petals tightly.

"I have already refined the Dao injury you inflicted upon me."

"The key you gave me..."

"The day I emerge from seclusion will be the day I take this key and step into the Ruins..."

"When I personally sever your true form!"

……

……

The rain poured down like a waterfall washing away the dust, enveloping the starry sky.

Hundreds of millions of lives were reborn under this "rain of the Dao" that spanned the universe. They looked up at the blue-gold sky and felt the long-lost warmth and the throbbing of their souls.

In that star field that was the first to recover, a young man named Lu Cheng was staring blankly at his own hands.

He came from humble origins, a descendant of slaves from a ruined city of the "Black Sun Cult".

After the evil spirit's faith dissipated, he originally thought he would die like dust.

But when the first drop of spiritual rain fell on his forehead, it was as if his soul was being "awakened"—

"boom!"

Within his body, a faint but pure spiritual light slowly rose.

That is... "qi".

"I...I saw the aura?"

Lu Cheng's voice trembled with excitement.

His flesh and blood were cleansed anew under the nourishment of the spiritual rain, his bones and muscles were transformed, and all filth was removed.

The remaining evil spirit mark that clung to his soul vanished as black smoke.

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao..."

Su Chen's voice still echoed in the sky.

That was the sound of the Great Dao, without any oppressive force, yet capable of penetrating the soul.

Every word is like a blazing fire, igniting sparks in the hearts of millions.

Lu Cheng knelt down, tears streaming down his face.

He had never understood what faith was, but now, for the first time, he knelt down for "himself".

"I wish to cultivate the Tao!"

"I wish to chase the light in the sky!"

His voice echoed through the wilderness.

The next moment——

The spiritual energy within his body gathered into threads!
That was the first "spiritual root" to naturally emerge after the reconstruction of Taiyi Dao Palace.

A faint blue light emanated from his heart, illuminating the countless kneeling mortals around him.

At this moment, he stepped into the Qi Refining realm.

They became among the first Qi Refining cultivators of the new era!
moment.

Countless eyes turned to him.

"He...has succeeded!"

"This is cultivation?"

"So 'immortals' really can be born from mortals..."

boom--!
The power of countless wishes resonated at that moment.

Su Chen stood on the Taiyi Dao Platform, his gaze piercing through the endless void, and saw that spark of starlight.

"The first breath... has been ignited."

he whispered.

The voice was calm, yet it seemed to herald the beginning of a new era.

……

……

The rain lasted for three days and three nights.

As the last ray of spiritual light dissipated, the "death aura" of the entire starry sky was completely expelled.

Countless life-bearing planets have regained their color, vegetation has revived, and mountains and rivers are full of vitality.

The Taiyi Dao Palace stands at the center of the universe, like an eternal lapis lazuli sacred mountain.

Its light is the light of the new day.

Su Chen sat quietly on the platform, the illusory image of the Jianmu tree behind him slowly unfolding.

He closed his eyes and pondered, his thoughts sinking into the endless void.

"The revival of spiritual energy is just the beginning... If I want to restart the 'immortal civilization,' I need to establish 'laws,' 'schools,' and 'hearts.'"

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes.

In his eyes, he saw countless people praying, bewildered, yet full of longing.

"Humans have not cultivated the Tao for five million years; they have forgotten what the heart is."

"I cannot give them the fruit of immortality, but I can give them the direction."

He gently raised his right hand.

"boom--!"

Countless golden runes surged from the Taiyi Dao Platform and flew towards various star systems!

“This is the ‘Dao Stele’,” Su Chen murmured.

"Standing among the stars, suppressing the remnants of evil spirits, and also serving as a guide for mortals to cultivate."

In an instant, a colossal golden-blue stele rose amidst countless stars.

The inscription on the stele reads:

"The Taiyi Dao Palace stands in accordance with Heaven; all those of the human race who aspire to cultivate the Dao can do so."

Millions of people looked up and saw that monument, their eyes filled with tears.

The young Lu Cheng was kneeling beneath one of the steles, silently reciting the "Dao" in his heart.

Suddenly, the void rippled slightly, and a wisp of azure light descended.

That was the divine will of the Taiyi Dao Palace.

"Young man, are you willing to remain steadfast in your pursuit of the Way, without regret?"

Lu Cheng looked up, his fists clenched tightly.

"I do!"

A bluish light entered his brow, and a mark slowly appeared.

The Taiyi Divine Patterns shimmered like stars.

"Very good," Su Chen said softly on the Taiyi Dao Platform.

"The first batch of cultivators in the vast star sea shall begin from here."

"Lu Cheng - bestowed the name Taiyi Outer Disciple".

His voice resounded throughout the heavens.

Lu Cheng trembled all over, and tears streamed down his face.

He felt an unprecedented power, like his bloodline awakening, as if the entire universe was responding to him.

But just as the Taiyi Dao Palace was bathed in its radiant light...
In the depths of the universe, in some forgotten corner, a faint black rift flickers silently.

Those were the remnants of "Tian'e's" will after his death.

It was not completely devoured by the Jianmu tree, but was instead drawn in by a strange "external fluctuation".

“The…traitors to my Lord’s Order…” “Damn it!”

"Damn ants!"

That hoarse voice, almost inaudible, carried an extreme degree of resentment and malice.

A thin black line emerged from the crack and silently disappeared into the starry sky.

It traversed billions of galaxies and finally landed on a remote planet inhabited by life.

It was precisely where Lu Cheng was located.

The boy was meditating cross-legged, completely unaware of what was happening.

That black line, like an invisible serpent, merged into his shadow.

"The chosen one...?"

"Heh...Interesting."

The voice seemed to be mocking, yet also spying.

Su Chen sat on the Taiyi Dao Platform, his brows twitching slightly.

His divine sense was omnipresent, but for a moment, it seemed to be obscured by some kind of barrier.

"Hmm?" he hummed softly.

"This aura... is not the remnant of the Heavenly Calamity, but something deeper... the will of the Void Domain?"

A look of seriousness flashed in his eyes.

The Holy Lord of the Underworld Lotus... is still spying on the mortal world!
"It seems that this recovery... has only just begun."

……

……

The reconstruction of Taiyi Taoist Palace has been underway for three months.

As the spiritual energy between the stars gradually increased, the first generation of cultivators began to emerge.

Su Chen preached three times, and each time, a new enlightened one appeared.

Gu Chenzi has broken through from the mid-stage of True Immortal to the peak of True Immortal, and has once again become the number one True Immortal of the human race.

The twenty Venerable Ones guarded the star field and established branch halls for spreading the Dharma.

But Su Chen understood—

A true revival of the immortal path requires the reopening of the "Heavenly Path".

The path once used by immortals and gods to travel was sealed off by heavenly calamities and has now become a void fracture.

If the Heavenly Road is not rebuilt, human cultivators will be forever trapped in the sea of ​​stars.

Su Chen stood atop the platform and whispered:
"If the Heavenly Path does not exist, the path to immortality will be difficult to achieve."

"Since there is no heaven... I will use myself as a bridge."

He slowly stood up, and the phantom of the Jianmu tree behind him suddenly unfolded!

A bluish-gold tree trunk pierces the sky, its branches stretching into the depths of nothingness.

"With Jianmu as its bones, order as its blood, and 'life' as its light!"

"The Great Luo Law - [Heavenly Path] - Begins!"

Rumble——!
The void in the depths of the universe was pierced by lapis lazuli light!

That was the first "path" to a higher dimension in five million years.

Countless stars trembled, and countless cultivators looked up in awe.

"That's... the Heavenly Road?!"

"The legendary Heavenly Road to the Immortal Realm has reopened?!"

Su Chen stood at the top, looking down at all living beings.

"The road to heaven can be taken up or down."

"Humans can ascend to the heavens."

"External enemies...can be annihilated!"

Azure-gold light illuminated the universe, the starry sea trembled, and all cultivators heard Su Chen's vow deep within their souls:

"As long as this path is extinguished, the immortal fire will endure forever."

The Azure Sky Road traverses the sea of ​​stars, and billions of living beings look up to it as if on a pilgrimage.

However, beneath this magnificent revival, a wisp of darkness lurks silently.

Lu Cheng—the young man who was given the name Taiyi Outer Sect Disciple—is cultivating on the Star River Cliff.

He was exceptionally talented, and after being baptized by the spiritual rain, he condensed his spiritual root and opened his Qi Palace three months later.

But he didn't know that the dark line hidden in his shadow was gradually awakening.

As night falls, spiritual energy surges forth.

He sat cross-legged in meditation, his internal spiritual energy flowing to its peak.

suddenly--

"Oh!"

A bone-chilling cold erupted from the depths of his dantian!
"Ah—!" Lu Cheng cried out in pain, black lines appearing on his forehead.

He opened his eyes, only to see an eye in his own shadow—

Pale, cold, and ruthless.

"Who?!"

He tried to resist, but found that the spiritual energy stagnated for a moment.

The eye slowly opened, and a hoarse voice chuckled: "Ha... How ironic. Five million years later, the successor of the 'Dao Ancestor' actually used a fragment of mine as a seed."

"Who are you!" Lu Cheng demanded through gritted teeth.

“Me? I was once…the ‘heart’ of the Heavenly Calamity.”

"Your destiny was determined from the moment you were chosen."

Lu Cheng was terrified, but suddenly he heard another force vibrating within his body!
"boom!"

A wisp of azure-gold light surged from his heart meridian, temporarily suppressing the darkness.

That was the Taiyi Mark bestowed by Su Chen!
"What a pity..." the shadowy figure chuckled, "That mark is merely a fragment of 'order,' while I... originate from 'chaos.'"

“Lu Cheng, one day you will understand that you are the ‘key’ to my revival.”

The sound dissipated, and the black patterns disappeared.

Lu Cheng collapsed to the ground, covered in cold sweat.

"What was that just now...?"

He looked up at the sky, gazing at the azure-gold sun in the distance, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Meanwhile, outside the universe—

In the depths of the Void Abyss, the will of the Underworld Lotus Saint Lord slowly opened its eyes.

He looked down upon the chaos, where thousands of lotus petals overlapped and countless divine thoughts descended.

A wisp of phantom light was cast into the starry sky of the present world, piercing through the space-time barrier.

"Tian'e... was actually devoured by that mortal bastard?"

"Hehe... Five million years have passed, and even my unfinished tribulations have been 'cleaned up' for me."

The voice of the Holy Lord of the Underworld Lotus was cold and distant.

In His eyes, there was order in life, and chaos in death.

"Jianmu...you've finally come back."

"However, this round of the game involves more than just the vast starry sky."

He raised his hand, and a lotus petal floated up from his palm.

The lotus petals transformed into countless fine threads, piercing through nothingness and scattering into every dimension.

……

……

Above the Taiyi Dao Palace, Su Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

The central axis of the Jianmu tree trembled slightly, causing the laws of order to fluctuate unstablely.

"There is movement."

He raised his hand to deduce, and the Great Luo Divine Thought transformed into a sea of ​​stars.

Countless points of light flickered, but one place was shrouded in black mist.

"The darkness originates from the star field where Lu Cheng is located?" Su Chen's expression turned slightly serious.

He didn't attack directly, but instead slowly formed hand seals.

"This calamity... should not be faced by me."

"The revival of the immortal path requires the enlightenment of the mortal mind."

He raised his palm, and a blue-gold rune flew out, transforming into dazzling starlight that fell towards the sea of ​​stars below.

"This talisman can suppress evil spirits and seal off external evils."

"If the Heavenly Calamity Seed moves again, it will be up to him to... comprehend the Dharma and break the deadlock."

He slowly stood up, his eyes swirling with chaotic light.

"When the Great Dao is first restored, the gate to the Void Realm will surely be activated."

“I must establish a ‘Heavenly Guardian’ to prevent the Nether Lotus from spying on me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Chen pointed.

"Jianmu axis, heed my command!"

Rumble——!
The entire starry sea trembled, and billions of stars resounded!
An invisible barrier rises from nothingness, enveloping the starry sky of the present world!
"After this realm, no one below the fifth realm, except me, shall be allowed to glimpse this universe."

"If you force your way in—execute!"

Heavenly Imperial Sealing Realm, established!

The endless divine radiance of order spread out, and the Star Sea was completely separated from the Ruins Realm from then on.

Su Chen's expression softened, but worry still lingered in his eyes.

"The Nether Lotus will not stop."

……

Three years later.

Taiyi Dao Palace has become a sacred place in the starry sea.

Millions of human cultivators established sects and cults, and a world brimming with spiritual energy reappeared.

The immortal path has restarted, and a hundred realms are vying for supremacy.

Gu Chenzi was stationed in Dongxing, where he transmitted the "Taiyi True Secret" and had thousands of disciples.

The Dragon Emperor of the East Sea reshaped the dragon race, established the "Tianyuan Palace," and vowed to protect the human race.

The twenty Venerable Ones each took charge of the Four Extreme Star Gates, suppressing the illusory veins of the universe.

Su Chen then went into seclusion at the summit of the Taiyi Dao Platform.

His aura grew increasingly deep, seemingly transcending the definition of "realm".

He was comprehending the Great Luo realm, preparing for the later stages of breaking through to the fourth realm and reaching the Great Luo Perfection. (End of Chapter)