Chaos Dao Sheng Jue

The water bridge is not straight downwards, but spirals and coils like a sleeping giant python. The walls of the bridge are made of solidified pool water and are translucent, allowing glimpses of the slowly flowing, chaotic matter outside.

Every so often, glowing runes would appear on the wall, remnants of ancient restrictions. Although most of them were no longer effective, faint fluctuations of laws could still be sensed from time to time.

After Lu Chen and the others recovered their spiritual energy, they carefully descended along the passage. Lu Chen walked in front, the Yin Mirror floating in his palm, its eerie blue light illuminating a ten-zhang radius ahead.

Fang Xinyi followed closely behind, activating the Green Wood Longevity Technique, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.

Nezha covered the rear, while another man held a gun to keep watch on the rear.

The pressure inside the passage was much lower than outside, indicating that the barrier formed by the Nine Pillars Formation was still functioning. However, the further down one went, the higher the temperature became, and a strange fragrance began to permeate the air, like sandalwood mixed with some unsettling smell of blood.

“There’s light ahead.” Lu Chen suddenly stopped.

At the bend in the passage, a faint white light shone through the wall. It wasn't the glow of runes, but rather resembled some kind of self-luminous object.

The three exchanged glances and slowly approached.

After turning the corner, the scene before them stunned everyone.

Suddenly, the passage widened, forming a circular space about five zhang in diameter. In the center of the space, a skeleton sat cross-legged.

It wasn't the enormous skeleton of an ancient god or demon, but rather the size of a normal human. The skeleton was remarkably well-preserved, with even some remnants of clothing remaining—a faded blue Taoist robe, simple in style, with a Tai Chi symbol embroidered on the chest.

In the skeleton's hand, a jade slip was held.

Around the skeleton, three things were scattered: a broken bronze sword, a cracked compass, and an oil lamp that had been extinguished.

Most strikingly, in the center of the skull's frontal bone, was a white crystal the size of a thumb. The crystal emitted a soft white light, the very light source we had just seen.

“This is…” Nezha stepped forward and carefully examined the patterns on the robe. “It is a standard robe of the ‘Qingwei’ lineage of Taoism, but the details of the patterns are somewhat different. It should be a style from ancient times.”

Lu Chen's gaze was drawn to the jade slip. The jade slip was pure white, with a faint halo flowing across its surface, clearly indicating that it was no ordinary item.

Moreover, he could sense that the aura contained in the jade slip resonated subtly with the Chaos Dao Life Technique.

"Be careful," Fang Xinyi warned, "There might be a restriction."

Lu Chen nodded, not rushing into it, but instead first sending out a burst of divine energy to test it.

The moment the divine essence touched the jade slip, the jade slip suddenly shone brightly! A phantom image was projected from the jade slip and floated in mid-air.

It was the image of a middle-aged Taoist priest, with a gaunt face, three long wisps of beard, and deep, weary eyes. He wore the same Taoist robe as the skeleton, only more complete.

"Latercomers," the illusory figure spoke slowly, its voice gentle yet carrying a sense of vicissitude that transcends time, "When you see this projection of divine thought, it means you have passed the initial test of the Nirvana Pool and are qualified to know part of the truth."

"I am Li Er, also known as 'Daode Tianzun', and I come from... a place you may have heard of, or you may never have heard of." The illusory figure paused, "...that place is called 'Earth'."

It really is me! That Earth senior who arrived in this world even before Lu Chen!

Lu Chen remembered watching a short video that said Lao Tzu was the most likely person in the world to be one of the three great immortal cultivators.

Because his disappearance is a mystery, some people have said that he traveled a thousand miles in one step and disappeared in the Kunlun Mountains area, etc.

However, Lu Chen had no time to think further, as the illusory divine thought continued, "I mistakenly entered this world 5.4 million years ago and obtained the inheritance of the Chaos True Scripture. After cultivating for 1,800 years, I finally attained the Primordial Chaos Realm. I thought the Great Dao was within my reach, but while exploring the truth of the Epochal Tribulation, I discovered the tragedy of this world."

His tone turned somber: "Every so often, in the Divine Realm and even throughout all the myriad worlds, a 'Great Annihilation' will occur. At that time, the 'Incarnation of Evil' will erupt in full force, devouring all orderly existence and plunging the world back into chaos. The ancient powerhouses called it the 'Cataclysm of the Epoch'."

"In order to combat the calamity, three hundred and sixty-five experts at the Hunyuan Realm were gathered in ancient times to set up the 'Nirvana Array' here, attempting to create a new world that could exist eternally and was immune to the 'Incarnation of Evil' through destruction and rebirth, but the plan failed."

A flicker of pain flashed in the illusory figure's eyes: "When the great formation was halfway activated, the counterattack of the 'Avatar of Sin' was beyond imagination. What's even more terrifying is that a traitor appeared among the participants—someone secretly merged with the 'Avatar of Sin,' attempting to use the power of the great formation to transform himself into an existence beyond the Primordial Chaos. And all of this is related to the Heavenly Dao. The leader of the Avatars of Sin is the Avatar of Sin that the Heavenly Dao has slain."

"In that battle, none of the 365 experts at the Primordial Chaos Realm escaped, including the Human Emperor. As a result, the Nirvana Pool was formed, and the remains, magical treasures, and even some of the laws of those fallen experts were absorbed into the pool. The traitor, on the other hand, escaped with the core of the 'Avatar of Evil' and lurked in the myriad worlds, waiting for the next opportunity."

Lu Chen was deeply shocked. It turned out that the failure of the Ancient Plan wasn't just due to the power of the "Avatar of Evil," but also the influence of a traitor!

What surprised Lu Chen even more was that rumors circulated that the only Hunyuan Holy Land Human Emperor in the Divine War Domain since ancient times had also died here.

"After discovering the truth, I tried to find a way to completely eliminate the 'Incarnation of Evil'," the phantom continued. "But after more than 30,000 years, I only found a way that 'treats the symptoms but not the root cause,' which is to use the power of chaos as the core to construct a 'Network of Pure Thoughts' to guide and transform negative emotions and delay the growth of the 'Incarnation of Evil.'"

"However, this method requires at least three experts at the Primordial Chaos Realm to administer, and its coverage is limited." The illusory figure smiled bitterly. "I am alone and powerless to reverse the situation. In the end, I decided to delve into the bottom of the Nirvana Pool to search for the last method left behind by the ancient experts. But..."

He looked at his own skeleton: "The dangers at the bottom of the pool far exceeded my expectations. Although I have already attained the Primordial Dao, I was still eroded by the pool water, and coupled with the siege of the 'Shadows,' I finally exhausted myself here."

The phantom raised its hand, pointing to the jade slip in the skeleton's hand: "This slip contains all that I have learned in my life, including the complete 'True Scripture of Chaos' and the method for constructing the 'Pure Mind Network.' If anyone is willing to fight against the 'Incarnation of Evil,' they may take it to study."

He then pointed to three items around him: "This sword is called 'Slaying Thoughts,' which can slay inner demons and break illusions; the compass is called 'Star Fixer,' which can determine direction in chaos; and the oil lamp is called 'Life Sustainer,' the oil of which is refined from my own blood essence and can prolong the life of the dying."

Finally, he pointed to the white crystal in his forehead bone: "This is a fragment of the 'Primordial Dao Fruit'. Before my death, I condensed my life's cultivation here, which contains a trace of Primordial True Meaning. If a later person has the opportunity, he may be able to comprehend the method of breaking through to Primordial from it."

At this moment, the phantom's voice grew weaker and weaker: "Remember, the 'Incarnation of Evil' is not invincible, but we must address the root cause. Ancient traitors still exist; be wary of those around you... especially... those whose personalities have suddenly changed drastically..."

Before the words were finished, the phantom began to dissipate.

But before he completely vanished, he glanced at Lu Chen, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which quickly turned into relief: "I see... You are too... Then... I'll leave it to you..."

The illusory image of divine thought completely disappeared...