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

Chapter 230 Severing the Heart

Tai Jing?!
Upon hearing these two words, Chen Qing was immediately shaken to his core, and his blood and qi almost stagnated!

In this Jade Capital, who else could dare to call himself by this name and possess such unpredictable abilities, besides the current Immortal Emperor who sits high above the ninth level and is rumored to have long since gone into seclusion?
Not to mention, Chen Qing had recently learned from the Xuanxuan Sect Master that the current Immortal Emperor might not have gone into seclusion. Therefore, his appearance here seemed even more logical and terrifying!

However, after the storm subsided, Chen Qing quickly calmed down.

He immediately realized that if it was truly the Celestial Emperor himself, then all his supernatural powers and trump cards would be in vain. But then he realized that the person in front of him might be the ultimate answer to many of his questions since this reincarnation!
Therefore, Chen Qing quickly suppressed the shock in his heart and spoke again with difficulty: "Wasn't the Taijing Immortal Emperor already in seclusion? Why would he appear here?"

“Interesting, interesting.” The Taoist smiled upon hearing this, but did not answer. Instead, he said, “You are still trapped in your own cage, yet you still do not forget to peek into the secrets of heaven. Such a mindset is indeed somewhat similar to that of the Hidden Star True Lord recorded in ancient books.”

With that, he waved his hand, causing the solidified restraints around Chen Qing's body to dissipate.

Chen Qing immediately regained his ability to move freely. He breathed a sigh of relief, but his heartstrings were becoming increasingly taut!
The Taoist remained calm and composed, but his tone shifted slightly, as if he were speaking to himself or offering guidance: "Just now, I said that your Taoist body is perfectly formed, unlike anything that can be obtained through mortal cultivation. It seems as if the heavens and earth have specially forged a seed of Tao. But now it seems that the Tao seed and the furnace are secondary. The key is your Taoist heart, which is quite commendable. Since the changes in the world, what is needed is someone like you who seeks the Tao."

He spoke in a calm tone, his gaze sweeping over Chen Qing with a smile playing on his lips. It wasn't as if he was looking at a person, but rather as if he were appraising a rare antique.

But when Chen Qing was looked at like that, his physical body and spirit felt increasingly heavy, and the pseudo-door inside his body was trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath, nurturing the innate divine power he had acquired from the venerable name of "Hidden Star True Monarch," ready to unleash the lingering power of the Taiyuan Emperor. At the same time, he seized the opportunity and asked directly, "The current Immortal Dynasty's laws are like a net, and the suppression of spiritual power has silenced all voices. Even those who seek the Dao would find it difficult to establish themselves, wouldn't they? Is this the situation you desire?"

The Taoist laughed and said, "You do know how to seize opportunities. With such wisdom and composure, what harm is there in telling you? Heaven and earth are the chessboard, and all living beings are the pieces. Since ancient times, how can ordinary cultivators fathom the moves of the Immortal Emperor? In extraordinary times, extraordinary methods are used."

These words were spoken lightly and in a somewhat approachable manner, but Chen Qing could sense from them that the person who spoke them had no reverence or concern for heaven and earth or any living beings.

Chen Qing inexplicably recalled that in his previous life as Chen Xu, he had heard the old man surnamed Jiang say that once one's cultivation reached a certain level and one sat in the highest position of the Immortal Dynasty, one's perspective on the world and all living beings would be completely different.

As if sensing Chen Qing's thoughts, the Taoist's tone gradually faded: "Even offering straw dogs as sacrifices is for the sake of Heaven. The Great Dao is ruthless, only fighting for a single thread. I have no interest in the struggles between these families, or even in the gate you possess. Whether you sever your spirit or establish a sect, all your actions are merely for the sake of attaining the Dao. Therefore, I need your answer to one question..."

He paused, his gaze fixed on Chen Qing, his eyes devoid of any emotion, like a deep pool or abyss, seemingly capable of swallowing one's very soul!

"Reincarnation is ephemeral, and reincarnation is illusory. If you are truly the Hidden Star True Monarch, how did you anchor the spiritual light of your past life, and how did you make your innate talent and physique in this body so perfectly aligned with the Great Dao? Could there be some profound and essential method involved?"

Chen Qing suddenly felt his mind waver and his soul became confused. He even had a slight thought of telling the whole story, but then a flash of inspiration in his heart brought him back to his senses.

The key to his past and present lives is his greatest secret and the foundation upon which he stands. As long as the Dao Evolution Record is not exposed, even if "Li Qing," a dream body with extraordinary talent and considerable cultivation, perishes here, as long as the Dao Evolution Record remains intact, Chen Qing's path to the Dao will still be unobstructed!

With this thought in mind, Chen Qing became even calmer. After all, at worst, he would just lose his body. Once he woke up and caught his breath, he could create another hero!
Moreover, once this thought was opened, the fear and awe in his heart gradually dissipated, and in its place came all the resentment that Chen Qing had felt since his reincarnation in the Taijing Immortal Dynasty.

After all, the person in front of us is the culprit behind all of this!

So he narrowed his eyes and said slowly, "If I said that I was not a reincarnation, would Your Majesty believe me?"

Seeing this, the Taoist priest didn't press the matter. Instead, he said, "Your mind has suddenly calmed down, and you seem more confident and even have a clear understanding of the Dao. Is it because you still have a trump card to play? Do you think you can mobilize the incense and prayers accumulated at the Hidden Star True Lord's Shrine? It seems ordinary methods won't be enough to make you submit. Very well, go ahead and do your thing. Let me see what kind of flower this seed of Dao you can bloom!" As he spoke, he didn't give Chen Qing a chance to catch his breath. He casually stretched out his right hand, his five fingers slightly curled, and gently grasped!
"The universe unfolds, and all things are depicted in a painting!"

Boom!

Chen Qing's six senses were immediately filled with a deafening roar, and then he felt the surrounding world suddenly tremble violently!
His eyes twitched, and he saw the scenery around him begin to distort!
The shattered forest of steles, the scattered starlight, the panicked figures in the distance, and even the flowing breeze and light, all seemed like a canvas that had been smoothed out by an invisible hand, rapidly shrinking inward and wrinkling!
This place seemed to no longer be a three-dimensional space, but rather a scroll that was being rolled up, completely enveloping and sealing away the people, objects, and events within the painting!
"This great supernatural power is truly domineering! It gathers everything indiscriminately, without distinguishing between living and dead things! Moreover, the sheer scale of it is enough to tear a corner of Jade Capital City apart! If other cultivators were to use it, they would probably have to exhaust all their strength to achieve this, but this person did it so casually, clearly as if it were done at will! The difference is indeed too great!"

Chen Qing took a deep breath and raised his hand to form a hand seal, but immediately felt an immense pressure on his body. His soul, golden core, and physical body were all trembling. Even though he was not being deliberately targeted, he was still intimidated by the residual power of this great divine ability and could not move!

At this moment, the Taoist spoke again: "This move, 'The Universe Rolls Up in the Sleeve,' has captured all the mountains and rivers, and refined demons and giants. It is an opportunity for you to try it yourself. If you cannot withstand it, then come with me. I will grant you a great fortune, and you can also fulfill my obsession with seeking transcendence. It's a win-win situation, so why not?"

These words, like living things, burrowed into Chen Qing's sea of ​​consciousness. Each word contained the power to distort his mind, stirring up the deepest greed, anger, ignorance, and delusion in his heart!
This thought, like a murky current in water, spread and expanded, trying to completely cover up his original thoughts and mind!
Just then, the Samadhi True Fire Talisman in his Niwan Palace suddenly lit up, the Tathagata Talisman shone with clear light, and the Qingqiu Bewitching Fire burst into flames with a "bang"!

boom!
The three combined their power—true fire, clear light, and bewildering flames—to scorch the eerie words that had manifested their true form in Chen Qing's heart, causing them to hiss and emit plumes of black smoke!

But these words immediately twisted and wriggled, and the scorched areas rapidly sprouted new fleshy buds, not only resisting the burning but also retaliating, like a bone-deep carbuncle, drilling into the depths of Chen Qing's soul!
Distorting perceptions and distorting one's true nature!
"Not good!" Chen Qing's soul trembled, and he felt his thoughts being forcibly twisted. He felt an endless longing for that "fortune" and a great honor to "fulfill his obsession"!
This erosion is silent and insidious, yet more deadly than any supernatural power that sweeps across the heavens and earth!
"If this continues, I fear I will become a complete puppet! It might even affect my physical body outside the dream! This kind of bizarre method that directly affects the mind is something that even calling upon the historical echoes of the Taiyuan Immortal Emperor might not be able to reverse! If things go wrong, I will have no choice but to end my own life to prevent the impact on my body outside the dream..."

On the brink of life and death, his thoughts raced like lightning, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him!
The general outline of the "Slaying Evil and Transforming Scenery Method" flowed through my mind, and Bingyan Miaoyu's words about "fighting magic can also create scenery" seemed to echo in my ears!

"That's it! The Nascent Soul Refining Scenery is not just about imitating the form of heaven and earth, but also about engraving its principles! The Severing Evil and Transforming it into Scenery is a method of severing evil first and then explaining, severing evil first and transforming it into an inner scene, and then slowly comprehending it later! This erosion of words is also a kind of 'principle'! This Qiankun Sleeve Scroll is also a manifestation of the great power of heaven and earth! Why not... sever it and transform it?!"

With a sudden realization, a glint of light appeared in Chen Qing's eyes!
At this moment, he no longer cared that he had not yet achieved the Nascent Soul foundation and was still at the Golden Core stage. He forcefully gathered his remaining mental energy and laboriously formed a profound hand seal with his hands!

The Mark of Slaying Evil!

"With a single sword strike, the universe is cleaved apart; heaven and earth become the furnace to forge the true scene! Slash!"

"Buzz!"

As the hand seals were completed, his Jade Palace Purple Mansion trembled violently. The shadows of the sun, moon, stars, and sea within the mansion shone brightly, transforming into a "heart sword" that embodied Chen Qing's will and enlightenment. It slashed down at his own eroded thoughts and at the "scroll world" that was being compressed around him!

This strike does not harm the physical body or damage the golden core; it only cuts through the erosion of the mind and the constraints of space!
"Hey!"

The sound of tearing silk echoed from the darkness!

The eerie words, writhing like living creatures, instantly dimmed and disintegrated upon touching the sharp edge of the "Heart Sword," like snow meeting boiling water! The twisted will contained within them was forcibly severed and stripped away!
At the same time, the "Universe Sleeve Scroll," a great supernatural power that was drawing all the scenes of the Stele Forest and endless light and shadow into its sleeve, was also momentarily stunned! But it was not because its power was broken, but because the "reason" behind its operation was "cut" open by this sudden "Slaying Evil" sword, creating a gap that defied common sense!

It was this tiny gap that gave Chen Qing a brief respite!
My mind and soul were instantly cleared!
He suddenly realized that he and everything around him had shrunk to the size of dust and were falling into the Taoist's palm!

Within that palm, it seemed, lay a chaotic world on the verge of closing!

Chen Qing looked closely and realized that the small gap was just like a crack in a door!
(End of this chapter)