Daqin Zhentiansi

The Vermilion Bird's true flame merged into Zhang Yuan's Transformation Seal.

The golden-red light flowed through his palm, eventually fading away and transforming into a mysterious pattern that was imprinted deep within his soul.

The vast understanding of the origin of fire was like a galaxy pouring in from above, instantly breaking through the original constraints of Zhang Yuan's understanding of "fire" and allowing him to step into a completely new realm where he could glimpse the essence of the laws.

Watching Zhang Yuan meditate with his eyes closed, his body radiating a continuous flow of Daoist energy, the Vermilion Bird's golden-red flames flickered slightly, revealing satisfaction and a hint of anticipation.

Once Zhang Yuan's breathing had stabilized somewhat, Zhuque's clear and melodious voice rang out again, like ancient chimes echoing in the realm of flames:
“Zhang Yuan, you have already obtained the guidance of my original true flame, and your foundation in the path of fire is solid. However, the primordial world is as vast as the sea, and there are three thousand great paths, each showing its extreme.”

"I will now briefly describe to you the divine beasts that hold the fundamental Dao in this primordial world, so that you may see the whole picture of the world."

As Suzaku spoke, the fiery domain seemed to transform into a mirror-like lake reflecting the heavens, with light and shadow shifting, presenting a magnificent panorama of the primordial land and silhouettes of living beings.

"The source of fire is the intense creation. Besides our Vermilion Bird lineage, which guards the 'Nirvana Fire Seed' and holds the power to burn the heavens and destroy the world, and to be reborn from the ashes, there is also the Crimson Phoenix Fire Clan."

"Its wings also contain an inextinguishable source of fire, and its supernatural power 'Nine Revolutions of Nirvana' is faintly compatible with your Chaotic Sword Bone. If you have the opportunity, you may be able to jointly forge the supreme Dao realm of 'Sword Fire Nirvana'."

"The Crimson Flame Sea is its ancestral land, the source of the Nirvana Fire."

In Mirror Lake, the churning lava of the Crimson Flame Sea and the soaring, magnificent fire phoenix are reflected.

As the mirror image changed, Zhuque spoke, and images continuously appeared before Zhang Yuan.

He gradually came to understand the ancient mythical beast races.

The source of water veins is both gentle and strong, with azure dragons and vast oceans, controlling the Nine Heavenly Thunder Pools, and drawing in heavenly thunder from all waters.

Its "Nine Heavens Thunder Punishment" can summon the phantom of an ancient thunder dragon, and its Sea-Suppressing Chains supernatural power is similar to Zhang Yuan's Prison-Suppressing Chains.

According to Zhang Yuan's calculations, this chain might also be compatible with his legacy.

Canglong Mountain is the place where the Azure Dragon and Azure Sea dwell, and the Thunder Pool Secret Realm can temper the physical body and the soul.

The scene shifts to the Azure Dragon Mountains, where lightning crackles and a giant dragon appears and disappears.

Xuanwu (Black Tortoise) is associated with the Gui Water element. Its back is covered by the Xuanming Cold Pool, and it wields the power of extreme Yin and cold. Its Xuanming Ice Seal freezes and freezes time and space.

Giant tortoise and snake shadows appeared in Mirror Lake, and ice filled the air.

The earth is the source of life, and its virtue carries all things.

The Zhenyue Qilin Huanglin clan, whose hooves leave behind Zhenyue runes wherever they tread, can stabilize the earth's veins and bring peace to the world.

The source of gold, its sharp edge shattered.

The White Tiger, made of Geng metal, has claws containing the sharp edge of destruction, its sharpness capable of tearing apart spatial barriers.

The wood veins are the source of life and creation.

The Azure Phoenix Wood series is the guardian of the ancient tree of life, and its green wood vitality can nourish all things.

Bai Ze, Taotie, Qiongqi, Zhulong...

All sorts of primordial mythical beasts, both known and unknown to Zhang Yuan, were displayed one by one in the light and shadow.

Even Zhang Yuan, who had weathered many storms, was momentarily stunned by the scene.

This is the profoundness of the primordial world!

The Vermilion Bird's voice carried a hint of desolation: "These twelve primordial races are the manifestations of the pillars of the Great Dao of the Primordial World."

"However, although our lineage is strong and our bloodline is precious, we all have a fatal constraint—our inherited cultivation techniques are all limited to the twelfth level of perfection!"

"No matter if I undergo Nirvana Nine Revolutions, Azure Dragon Nine Thunder Punishment, Qilin Mountain-Suppressing Seal, or even the Candle Dragon Spacetime Secret, the end is always in the twelfth level!"

Twelve floors?
Zhang Yuan was terrified.

This was the first time he clearly knew the limits of the top inheritances in the primordial world.

"Twelve levels? Why is that? With the abilities of you seniors, your understanding of the Great Dao is boundless, so why is there such a limitation in the inherited cultivation method?"

He deduced various cultivation techniques, clearly reaching the thirteenth level with ease, and there were even higher realms beyond that.

A sudden surge of golden-red flames erupted in the Vermilion Bird's eyes, filled with deep hatred and helplessness: "Why? It's all because of the Heavenly Palace Master, the Heavenly Venerable!"

"He stole the foundation of the Primordial Great Dao and altered the rules of heaven and earth!"

"With his supreme power, he set up invisible shackles within the primordial will of the world!" The Vermilion Bird's voice turned icy cold. "These shackles not only lock away the ultimate potential of our divine beast bloodlines, but also the path to heaven for all living beings in the primordial world to break through to the heavens!"

Zhang Yuan nodded slowly.

According to Zhuque, the Heavenly Venerable was clearly acting on behalf of the Great Dao, gathering and suppressing the power of the Great Dao, which transcended the twelve layers and touched the ultimate origin, deep within the Heavenly Palace, transforming it into resources for his exclusive enjoyment and to maintain his supreme authority.

Golden light shimmered in the Vermilion Bird's eyes.

“We divine beasts have a bloodline that originates from the beginning of creation, imprinted with the most primordial fragments of the Great Dao. This was originally our unique advantage, but it has also become our biggest target.”

"The Heavenly Palace suppresses us divine beasts the most, using every means to hunt, divide, and exterminate us, all to prevent our bloodline from fully awakening, breaking through those twelve layers of shackles, and threatening its rule!"

"The same principle applies to the fact that human cultivation techniques have been reduced to the fifth or ninth level, only the shackles are more obvious."

Zhuque's gaze refocused on Zhang Yuan, filled with unprecedented astonishment and inquiry: "That's why, Zhang Yuan, your existence is so incredible, so... that it makes my heart tremble with anticipation!"

Zhuque's words resounded like thunder in Zhang Yuan's mind.

However, he did not respond directly.

This information confirmed his long-held suspicions and brought with it a deeper weight.

The "Mysterious Jade Returning to Truth Technique," the "Heavenly Gang Refining Form Method," the "Guiding Qi to Profound Mystery Chapter," and even the "Great Qin Origin Dao Scripture" upon which his foundation rests... the thirteen-level realm division is indeed not his imagination!
From the 'Returning to Origin Realm' where the nascent form of the primordial chaotic aperture is formed, to the 'Profound Realm' where spiritual consciousness breaks through the laws, then to the 'Creation Realm' where creation is reversed, and finally to the 'Heaven-Reaching Realm' where one communicates with the laws of heaven and earth...

With each deduction, the Golden Pearl of the Great Dao frantically demonstrates the Daoist principles and power levels it contains.

This is far beyond anything the Heavenly Palace's castration of its lineage could achieve.

It touches upon a deeper realm within the primordial origin, a realm imprisoned by invisible chains.

The Vermilion Bird's words were true; this was no longer the twelve-layer limit that ordinary divine beast inheritances could reach.

It seems this is the work of the Great Qin's Heavenly Way.

What he stirred up was indeed the will of the Great Qin Mountains and Rivers and fragments of the laws of Heaven.

These powers of the Great Dao are like a key from another world, using Zhang Yuan's Chaos God-Demon body as a furnace, attempting to pry open and fuse the core laws in the primordial origin that were altered and suppressed by the Heavenly Venerable.

Two completely different Heavenly Daos, each containing supreme mysteries, collided, merged, and sublimated within him...

This is the fundamental reason why the Golden Pearl of the Great Dao can deduce thirteen levels or even higher realms of cultivation techniques!

This was not a pre-existing path, but a unique one he forged.

However, this kind of theft of the Great Dao is a fight to the death with the Heavenly Venerable!

Zhang Yuan had long foreseen the risks, but now he realized more clearly that what he was doing was far more than just touching the rules of the Heavenly Venerable; he was directly undermining the foundation of the Heavenly Venerable's rule over the Primordial World and his theft of the Great Dao's power! This was because the Heavenly Venerable regarded the Primordial World as his exclusive domain, and the Great Qin Heavenly Dao that Zhang Yuan introduced was changing the pattern of this world and diluting his absolute control over the origin.

This is no longer a simple challenge, but a threat to the very foundation of his existence!
Once discovered, it will inevitably lead to a fierce and irreconcilable conflict.

Looking up at the sky, Zhang Yuan narrowed his eyes.

The Celestial Venerable suppressed the origin of the Great Dao, locking away the upper limit of all living beings...

This is not only suppression, but also stripping away all hope of transcendence and turning it into resources to nourish one's own supreme authority.

The bloodlines of divine beasts bear the brunt, and the human cultivation techniques have been emasculated to a ridiculous degree—all clear evidence of this shackle.

His path was destined to be a perilous one, a journey against the current, a struggle against the thieves for control of the Heavenly Way.

Zhang Yuan remained silent, his heart churning with turmoil, yet devoid of fear, filled only with a chilling clarity and an even stronger burning determination.

He raised his palm, and the Transformation Seal in his palm, which incorporated a trace of the Vermilion Bird's original true flame, glowed slightly, emitting a warm and powerful aura.

At the same time, deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Golden Pearl of the Great Dao spun wildly, verifying and deducing the essence of the flames from the top divine beasts of the primordial world with his own understanding of the Great Qin Heavenly Dao and the Chaos God-Demon Body.

"The risks were foreseen, and the path has been chosen. The shackles of the Celestial Venerable must be broken, and the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World needs to be reshaped."

"By introducing the Great Qin Heavenly Dao, I have sown a seed of fire. This seed is changing the primordial world and will eventually ignite a prairie fire that burns away all shackles. Even if the road ahead is fraught with peril, we will fight to the death... So, let us fight!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuan looked at Zhuque.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Zhang Yuan's voice was calm and firm. "Now that we know where the shackles are, we can break them."

"Senior, please look. This is what I have just deduced about the next realm of the Great Dao of Fire Vein after observing your original true flame, combining my own chaotic true essence, the will of the Great Qin Heavenly Dao, and the belief of the Mountain and River Army Dao."

He pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed them through the air.

Profound runes composed of pure fire laws appeared and combined in the void.

Ultimately, the runes coalesced into a phantom of a cultivation technique imbued with the intent of burning the heavens and creating the world.

This is the outline of his deduction of "The True Explanation of Li Huo" manifested through his mind.

This technique isn't just passed down up to the thirteenth level!
"The fourteenth level, the Burning Realm. Wherever the mind goes, divine fire spreads across the plains."

"It does not burn grass, wood, metal, or stone, but rather the void's boundary. It draws on the chaotic fire to scorch the barriers of small worlds, capable of destroying the foundation of small grotto-heavens and secret realms. Once the fire domain unfolds, it becomes a fiery cage, isolating the laws of the inner and outer universes."

Zhang Yuan's words were filled with confidence.

This is the fire vein divine power he deduced, a divine power that can be passed on to divine beasts.

"Fifteenth level, the Refining Void Realm. Transforming fire into nothingness, merging with all laws."

"The primordial divine fire can be transformed into the Dao of Nothingness and integrated into one's other supernatural abilities. If integrated into the Dao of Sword, the sword will burn the soul; if integrated into the intent of fist, the fist will burn the void; if integrated into the laws of space, the fire that opens up will naturally possess the power to incinerate all laws."

"The fire in this realm is not fire, but the manifestation of the way of burning and annihilation."

As Zhang Yuan recounted the story, Zhuque stared wide-eyed at the ball of flame in disbelief.

Is there really a fifteen-level martial arts technique in this world?
Zhang Yuan remained calm, his gaze fixed on the flames in his palm.

"The sixteenth floor, the creation habitat."

"At the end of annihilation, creation is found. Comprehend the ultimate duality of fire, and from the most intensely burning ashes of destruction, refine the purest 'seed of life'."

"This flame contains the power of creation. It can transform stubborn rocks into spirits, reunite remnants of souls to reshape bodies, and create oases of life in desolate lands. With a single thought, it can ignite the heavens; with another, it can create the world. This realm is the ultimate sublimation of the Vermilion Bird's path to Nirvana."

One thought can ignite the heavens, another can create the world!
The Vermilion Bird's long tail trembled, and its divine beast aura almost exploded out of control.

Zhang Yuan raised his hand and unreservedly pushed the runes of intent, which contained fourteen to sixteen layers of cultivation techniques, toward the Vermilion Bird.

The Vermilion Bird's golden-red phoenix eyes suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant light, like two burning stars!
Its massive body trembled slightly with excitement, and the eternal fire around it fluctuated violently, causing the entire flame domain to shake!
"Ten...sixteenth level! Creation Realm, Nirvana Transformation, Seed of Life!"

Suzaku's voice trembled with disbelief.

“You…you have actually managed to elevate our clan’s path to Nirvana to such a level! This level is not merely an increase in power, but a touch upon the very edge of the power of creation! You…your comprehension, your foundation in the Dao…”

Shocked!

Unparalleled shock!
Deducing the thirteenth level was already defying the heavens, but no one expected that it could use a wisp of its own primordial true flame to deduce the core Nirvana Path of the Vermilion Bird lineage to a new height that it had never imagined in such a short time.

Sixteen layers of creative habitat!

This has already surpassed the limits of its bloodline inheritance.

However, before the Vermilion Bird could recover from its shock, Zhang Yuan's next words struck its very soul like a thunderclap:
“These sixteen levels are what I have come to understand from observing your origins, senior. They can be passed on to you to verify the Great Dao. However,” Zhang Yuan said calmly, yet with a certainty that seemed to have created the world, “the limits of the fire veins that I have sensed are not yet reached.”

He raised his hand again, and this time, the flame runes that gathered at his fingertips were even more complex and profound, as if they contained the secrets of the beginning of the universe and the destruction of its end.

The runes flowed, subtly forming two deeper layers of illusory shadows.

"Seventeenth level, Burning Dao Realm."

"Fire burns in all directions, the flame is passed on even when the fuel is exhausted. The fire in this realm can ignite the chains of laws!"

"It can burn the origin and foundation of an opponent's supernatural powers, causing their cultivation to regress and their supernatural power to be greatly reduced. It can also burn one's own old methods, extract their essence, and integrate them into a new path, achieving a transformation and leap in the level of the Great Dao. Fire becomes the fuel that drives the evolution of the Great Dao."

Seventeenth floor!
Outside the Vermilion Bird, light and flames exploded instantly, and the void was scorched and distorted by the uncontrollable flames.

Zhang Yuan remained expressionless and continued speaking.

"The eighteenth level, the primordial realm, the seed of chaos. The fire returns to its origin, giving birth to chaos."

"The fire in this realm is neither light nor heat, neither born nor destroyed; it is the return to the original form and final destination of the concept of 'fire' in chaos."

"A single thought can transform into the 'Primordial Fire,' igniting the desolate void and creating a new chaotic world containing the essence of fire; a single thought can also transform into the 'Flame of the End,' burning away all the laws of the heavens and causing a star field to return to the state of chaos."

"The fire in this realm is a manifestation of 'chaos' itself. The Great Dao of Fire has reached a state of perfect harmony and unimpededness, coexisting with chaos."

When the phantom of this realm appeared in the domain of flames, Suzaku was completely silenced!

Those golden-red phoenix eyes were fixed on the runes that contained the meaning of "Burning Dao" and "Chaotic Fire Seed," while their massive bodies remained frozen in place.

Even the eternally burning flames around him seemed to have frozen.

A throbbing and fear originating from the deepest part of its bloodline, accompanied by an unprecedented ecstasy of glimpsing the ultimate Dao, impacted its mind, which had been accumulating for millions of years.

Burning Dao Realm...

To ignite countless paths as fuel?

This is no longer just about physical strength, but rather it touches upon the "metabolism" and "evolution" of the Great Dao's rules!
This is almost a means that, in its understanding, only a Celestial Venerable could possess by relying on the power of the Heavenly Dao!
And the eighteenth level, the Origin Realm, the Chaos Fire Seed?!
This...this has exceeded its ultimate imagination of "fire"!

This elevates the Great Dao of Fire to a level on par with, or even mutually transforming with, the primordial origin of chaos!

This is no longer a cultivation technique, but rather the ultimate mystery pointing directly to the Great Dao of Chaos! (End of Chapter)