There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 176 Extrajudicial Usurpation

Beyond dreams, in the present world.

In the quiet room of Blackwater City, Chen Qing's true form sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide, and the color of ice crystals appeared in his eyes, making his eyes as clear and transparent as crystal!
Everything before my eyes seemed to have stopped for a moment!

However, his eyes then returned to normal, and he began to frown.

He looked inward and saw a strange portal, radiant with light and etched with images of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and the nation, standing silently deep within his heart. No matter how he tried to break through it with his mind, it remained unmoved.

"This gate, which I couldn't sever in my dreams, has followed me into the present world! It's as if my will has been corrupted!"

Chen Qing's expression turned solemn; this sect was extremely sinister!

In the dreamlike celestial dynasty, he tried many methods repeatedly, even using great perseverance and wisdom to erase the relevant memories, but in just a short while, they would re-emerge and linger!

If it were just a simple manifestation of the portal, Chen Qing would at most worry about being plotted against by the Taiyi Sect. What he truly found unbearable was that with the appearance of the portal, his mind was filled with all sorts of distracting thoughts. Whenever he concentrated in meditation, he would vaguely hear voices roaring and whispering in his ears, trying to disturb his mind.

"Those who cultivate must be most wary of distracting thoughts. They can suppress them during quiet meditation, but if they arise during combat or when breaking through a cultivation level, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his agitation, and his gaze grew cold.

"This gate is strange, so the first priority is to expel it. If it cannot be expelled for the time being, then we must find a way to control it and turn this harm into a treasure!"

In fact, in his dream, Chen Qing had tried to find out what secrets the Taiyi Dao Palace held by relying on the channels of Chen Xinghen and others, but in the end it was all in vain, and he could not find any information related to the Gate of the Heart!

After a few attempts, he gave up the idea of ​​exploring in his dreams and changed his approach.

"Now that I've woken up, I'm going to take advantage of this world outside the dream to investigate further."

Thinking this, Chen Qing tried to calm his mind and settle his thoughts.

Just then, spiritual energy surged within the heavens, and the feedback from the dream arrived as promised.

However, this time when he entered the dream, he mainly used the Emperor's Daoist aura to subdue all sides, deter villains, and eliminate hidden dangers. What he gained was more spiritual insight, and the spiritual energy he received was not much. It was better than nothing.

However, the feeling of his own projection became increasingly intense and clear, making him realize that he could now summon two other projections in the real world.

“However, in my dream, the projection of myself that I summoned was ‘Chen Xu’ and ‘the real body.’ Now that I’m outside the dream, this projection of myself can’t still be the real body, can it? Something must have changed…”

He was thinking about it and considering trying it out later, but just then, a mysterious feeling welled up in his heart.

In a daze, he seemed to be able to sense that there were many cultivators in the world who had practiced the "Free and Unfettered Chapter of the Law". He could vaguely perceive their location, energy, and even the subtle details of the operation of the Dao when they concentrated.

It seems that as long as he has a thought, he can influence it, or even... interfere with its path!
In addition, Chen Qing's soul felt an urge to break free from his body and travel freely on the wind, as if it were being summoned by a mysterious force!

"This is... because I passed on this method tens of thousands of years in advance in my dream, and in the darkness, I have become the actual creator of this path? The last time I woke up, I had a vague feeling of this, but at that time I was completely focused on comprehending the method of intercepting cause and effect and communicating with the underworld, and I had no time to think about anything else. This time, with distracting thoughts, this feeling is even stronger and more obvious!"

Before this, Chen Qing had actually woken up once, which was when he was assassinated by the four Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Dynasty and Zhenyuan Xuan Palace in his dream.

At that time, the time between Chen Qing waking up from the dream and entering the dream again seemed to be only a short interval, but in reality, he had stayed in the real world for several days.

Because Chen Qing was in Blackwater City, he specially had someone bring the little monkey over and told this disciple some stories of the ancestral master, trying to add or modify the settings. With the addition of the dream body's own comprehension talent, the amplification of the Tathagata Talisman, and the Eye of Ice Soul, he was able to comprehend the mysteries so smoothly and turn the tide!
"I haven't used this unorthodox path much in the mortal world, so its effects aren't obvious yet. But if I use it more frequently, many changes will likely manifest! However, the true creator is still alive, so I'm afraid trouble will arise!"

Chen Qing understood, but then the gate to his heart trembled slightly, and distracting thoughts arose again, interfering with his thoughts.

"As expected, it's in the way!" Chen Qing frowned, refocusing on the door in his heart. "This door originates from Taiyi Dao Palace. The one who tied the knot must untie it. The fastest solution is to start with Taiyi Dao Palace itself!"

In the dreamlike immortal dynasty, the Taiyi Dao Palace is a behemoth, ranking among the five sects and six religions, with deep-rooted power and countless disciples. To rashly explore it in the dream is tantamount to snatching chestnuts from a fire. If things go wrong, it may discover your presence and even use the opportunity to turn against you and plunder your fortune.

“It’s hard to investigate in dreams, but that doesn’t affect the present world!” A glint flashed in Chen Qing’s eyes. “In the present world, the Taiyi Dao Palace has long since vanished, leaving only remnants. Even if they had all sorts of schemes in their dreams, tens of thousands of years have passed, and they should have revealed some clues long ago!”

"As long as I can figure out their plans in the real world, I can return to the dream and follow the clues to gain the upper hand and eliminate the hidden dangers! Moreover, if I were in the dream, the Taiyi Dao Palace would still exist, and the gate in my heart that was born from it could be restricted by it if I'm not careful. In the real world, I don't have this concern, so I can try to refine it with peace of mind!"

"The key is where to start, and right now there's an excellent opportunity..."

Chen Qing's visit to Blackwater City is related to the twin ruins that are connected to the Taiyi Dao Palace. He should be able to obtain a lot of information from them!

"But we can't put all our hopes on one place." Chen Qing's mind raced, and he gradually made up his mind. "We need to take multiple approaches and spread out clues widely to ensure everything goes smoothly."

His next thought was of the mysterious "Fragment Pavilion"!
This pavilion contains fragments and secrets from all over the world, which may contain records of the core secrets of the Taiyi Dao Palace!
"It's been quite a while since my last mental visit. That strongman slave should have recovered considerably and is almost ready to descend again. After all, I should go and see if there have been any changes to the stone tablet recording the Taiyin Sect's demon-slaying deeds, and whether my actions have affected history..."

Thinking of this, Chen Qing suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He remembered seeing two broken steles when he descended last time. One of them recorded the Taiyin Sect's subjugation of demons, while the other recorded the edict of the Taiyi Dao Palace Master.

"The edict mainly mentioned two things. One was that Taiyi Dao Palace was deeply involved in the affairs of the Immortal Dynasty. The other thing was that it mentioned something about 'Dao Fruit Immortal Register' and the reforging of the Mysterious Female Gate!"

The Gate of the Mysterious Female?!
"Could it be that the door in my heart is..." His heart trembled!
"Jiji!"

Just then, the little monkey that was guarding the side suddenly became alert, looked up, bared its teeth, and growled at the door.

Almost simultaneously, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Chen Qing already knew who had come.

The door opened, and Liu Shuang'er, dressed in a scarlet outfit, stepped in, followed by two demon-hunting guards carrying a heavy copper box.

"Mr. Chen," Liu Shuang'er said bluntly, gesturing towards the box, "The items on your previous list were hard to come by, but you've finally managed to gather almost everything. Want to check them out?"

Chen Qing glanced at the box, and with a slight movement of his divine sense, he knew that it contained various precious materials for condensing golden cores and solidifying the foundation of one's Dao. The materials were full of spiritual energy and of extraordinary quality. He nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Commander Liu."

Liu Shuang'er waved her hand, then, without any hesitation, sat down on a chair in the room and said, "Now that the things have been delivered, I shouldn't disturb Mr. Chen's peace and quiet any further. However, there is a troublesome matter right now, and I need Mr. Chen to step in and keep things under control."

"Oh?" Chen Qing raised his eyes and asked curiously, "I remember the agreement with the commander that I only needed to stay here and not get involved in the affairs of the ruins. Could it be that Zhou Chen of the Criminal Investigation Department, or Deputy Commander Yan of your guard, has had another change of heart?"

“It’s not them,” Liu Shuang’er said with a wry smile. “It’s the people from Xuanjuan Pavilion who have arrived.”

"Mysterious Scroll Pavilion?" Chen Qing's heart stirred. This name was only one character different from the "Remnant Scroll Pavilion" he knew, and he had seen its name many times when exchanging cultivation techniques, so he had long harbored the desire to investigate it.

“Exactly.” Liu Shuang’er’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. “The demonic runes deep within the ruins are too deeply entangled with the remaining restrictions of the Taiyi Dao Palace, making them extremely unpredictable. Several of my skilled men have been lost, and we still can’t figure out the way. After a long investigation, we still can’t understand it. According to the rules, matters involving ancient secrets and runic restrictions must be reported, requesting the Xuanjuan Pavilion to send a rune-deciphering expert specializing in this field. The person has arrived, but…”

At this point, she snorted coldly: "These arrogant fellows, relying on their special status and expertise in ancient methods, don't take us Demon-Slaying Guards seriously at all. They can't be commanded or reprimanded. To crack the ruins, we still need to rely on their abilities. With my limited manpower, I can't suppress their arrogance. If I let them run wild or secretly do something, the credit I'm about to gain will be lost, and our deal will be greatly reduced."

Chen Qingxin understood.

Having gone to great lengths to seize control, Liu Shuang'er was not about to let anyone else take the credit.
However, this was actually exactly what he wanted!
These twin ruins are closely related to the Taiyi Dao Palace, and the people of the Xuanjuan Pavilion are likely to know many secrets...

Thinking of this, Chen Qing asked casually, "Now that they've arrived, have they discovered anything?"

“They are quite capable,” Liu Shuang’er nodded. “The person who came didn’t look very old, but in just two or three hours, he had already discovered that this ruin seems to be related to a major event during the Immortal Dynasty.”

"What's the big deal?"

“That’s beyond my knowledge. They’re not interested in sharing information.” Liu Shuang’er said with dissatisfaction, then added, “That’s why I came to invite Lord Chen. There are some formations, restrictions, and even some mechanisms in these ruins. No one around me can crack them. Since the Xuanjuan Pavilion has cracked them, why would they be willing to share the information for nothing?”

She paused for a moment, then added, "As you can tell, there are still some risks inside the ruins. If you're unwilling, I won't force you; if you agree, the benefits will naturally increase!"

risk?

Chen Qing originally did not want to get involved in such a risky matter, but compared to the Taiyi Dao Palace, which was like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, when the Immortal Dynasty was at its peak, to explore its secrets, this risk was almost negligible.

Once he had this thought, he no longer hesitated and stood up.

"In that case, I, Chen, will accompany Commander Liu on this trip to meet the talents of the Xuanjuan Pavilion."

Upon seeing this, Liu Shuang'er's face lit up with joy, a great weight lifted from her heart. She immediately stepped aside to lead the way, saying, "In that case, Shuang'er thanks Lord Chen in advance! Please!"

A few breaths later, the two walked side by side, and Liu Shuang'er arranged for someone to add another spot to enter the ruins along the way.

“This matter is Zhou Chen’s responsibility. If he knows you’re going in, he’ll definitely make the arrangements quickly.”

"Thank you for your trouble." Chen Qing nodded, then remembered that this woman had a powerful background, and with a thought, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Liu, I have something I would like to ask you."

Liu Shuang'er smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, you're too kind. Just tell me. As long as I know it and can reveal it, I will tell you everything."

Chen Qing didn't stand on ceremony and asked, "How much do you know about the Gate of Mysterious Female?"

"The Gate of the Mysterious Female?" Liu Shuang'er was slightly surprised, then realized, "With Chen Jun's vision and cultivation, he should indeed be concerned about this matter. After all, if one wants to achieve the Golden Core and glimpse a higher realm, one cannot bypass this name."

Chen Qing immediately listened attentively.

Liu Shuang'er then said, "The so-called 'Valley Spirit' is immortal, which is called the Mysterious Female; the gate of the Mysterious Female is called the root of heaven and earth. This gate symbolizes the source of creation, the gateway where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth converges! In legends, it is even the source of spiritual energy, and some people even call it... the Immortal Gate!"

"Immortal Sect?" Chen Qing's heart stirred, and a sense of familiarity arose in his mind.

Liu Shuang'er then changed the subject, revealing a sense of regret and lament: "Unfortunately, such a divine object is said to have been destroyed long ago. There is a saying that it was because this gate was broken that the spiritual energy in the world lost its greatest source, which is why it gradually declined."

　Take a break. The third update will probably be around 1 or 2 AM. If you think that's too late, you can check it out tomorrow morning...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)