Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

With a slight thought, a deep blue jade slip containing starlight appeared in his palm. It was the very jade slip he had obtained from Qingyun Palace, which recorded Qingyunzi's life and will, as well as the general outline of the "Yuanhai Daojing" and other legacies.

He had studied this jade slip repeatedly. The tragic epic of Qingyunzi, the vast and profound meaning of the Yuanhai Daojing, the fierce power of the incomplete "Measuring Ruler" technique, the mystery of the "Two Elements Micro Dust Array", and the ancient entrustment "Inherit my will, continue my path, and protect the glimmer of life in this world" were all deeply imprinted in his heart, becoming an important guide and a heavy responsibility on his path of cultivation.

However, today, when he once again immersed his divine sense into the jade slip, it was not to study the contents that he had already memorized, but to perceive and sort out the structure and Daoist rhythm of the jade slip itself in a way that was almost "inner vision".

This was a spur-of-the-moment decision, as if something in the dark was hinting to him that this jade slip, which he seemed to have completely "deciphered," might still hold something deeper. Especially after his nascent soul was completely stabilized and his perception of the Great Dao and energy became increasingly acute.

Inside the jade slip, the information structure constructed by Qingyunzi with great magical power resembled a network of shimmering starlight, clear and stable. The main information recording his life and lineage flowed like the main channel of a river.

Shen Mo's divine sense, like the finest tentacles, slowly spread along these "rivers," not missing a single tiny "tributary" or "whirlpool."

Initially, there was nothing unusual. Although the inherited information was vast, its structure was clear, with no redundancy or deliberate concealment.

Just as Shen Mo thought he was being paranoid and was about to withdraw his divine sense, his "tentacles" inadvertently brushed against the core and deepest part of the jade slip.

It is not a place where information is recorded, but rather the "foundation" and "energy core" of the jade slip. It is usually perfectly concealed by the vast flow of information and the Daoist charm of the jade slip itself, making it extremely difficult to detect.

And just as divine sense touched that "foundation" area—

"Buzz..."

A strange resonance, so faint that it would be almost imperceptible to Shen Mo unless his mind was highly focused and his nascent soul's perception was extremely acute, came from the deepest part of the jade slip! It was not a sound, but a subtle tremor that penetrated directly into the soul, carrying endless vicissitudes and a trace of indescribable "vitality"!

Immediately afterwards, Shen Mo "saw" that in the center of that seemingly eternally silent "foundation," a tiny, almost transparent, pale golden light, finer than a speck of dust, slowly "lit up."

No, it wasn't lit up, but rather "activated" by his divine sense, or more precisely, by the Daoist rhyme of the "Yuanhai Daojing" contained within his divine sense, which shared the same origin as Qingyunzi, and by the causal power that was connected in the dark!

The point of light rapidly expanded, transforming into an extremely complex, ever-changing miniature imprint that seemed to be composed of countless fine Dao patterns and fragments of thought. It was deeply embedded in the core of the jade slip, becoming one with the jade slip itself, yet carrying an independent and strange aura that seemed to possess its own life rhythm.

Soul Imprint!

Moreover, it is a soul imprint of extremely high level and extremely well hidden. Unless certain conditions are met (such as the same source of Daoist charm, causal connection, and a sufficiently powerful spiritual realm), it is absolutely impossible to discover!

This is by no means an ordinary divine imprint that records information; it is more like... a "backup plan" deliberately left by a powerful being when making this jade slip, or rather, a hidden "door"!

Shen Mo's heart tightened suddenly. Was it left by Qing Yunzi? Besides him, who else could have left such a hidden mark deep within this jade slip that recorded his core inheritance and last words?

What did Qingyunzi want to convey through this brand? Was it an unfinished instruction? A deeper secret? Or... some kind of test, or even a trap?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in a flash. But Shen Mo did not hesitate. Having reached his level, and facing the relics of Qingyunzi that were closely related to his own path and the origin of his sect, now that he had discovered them, there was no reason for him to back down.

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that the activation of this mark was not accidental, but rather an "inevitable" result of his cultivation reaching a certain level and the entanglement of cause and effect reaching a certain depth.

He steadied himself, adjusting his state to its peak, and slowly channeled his nascent soul power to protect the core of his divine soul. Then, he separated a wisp of his purest divine consciousness, containing the original Daoist essence of the "Source Sea Dao Scripture," and cautiously yet resolutely probed into the depths of the jade slip for the activated pale golden divine soul imprint.

The moment of contact—

There was no overwhelming information flow as expected, nor were there any complex scenes of inheritance.

Shen Mo felt his vision suddenly darken, as if all light and sound had been taken away. Then, an indescribable torrent of thoughts, mixed with endless sorrow, determination, exhaustion, and a faint but stubborn hope, suddenly overwhelmed him!

In a daze, he seemed to "see" a picture that transcended eternity and was imprinted deep in his soul:

It was deep within an ancient hall, similar in style to Qingyun Palace but even more dilapidated, seemingly on the verge of complete collapse. There stood a figure in a moon-white Daoist robe, tall and imposing yet radiating endless desolation and weariness—it was Qingyunzi!

His current state differed from the description of his passing in the jade slip; he was not calm and serene. His spiritual energy was dim, his Daoist aura was disordered, and on his chest was a terrifying wound the size of a bowl, constantly emanating pitch-black demonic energy and dark gold blood. At the edge of the wound, fine, writhing, evil runes were corroding it.

Clearly, this was the fatal wound left from his last and most brutal battle.

Qingyunzi's face was blurred and indistinct, but his eyes, as bright as ever, were filled with exhaustion, a deep longing for what lay behind him, and... a resolute reluctance.

He struggled to sit cross-legged, and with trembling hands raised his right hand. The light at his fingertips, though dim, carried a fiery intensity as if it were burning away the last vestiges of his life force.

He did not treat his wounds or attempt to heal them. Instead, he forcibly condensed and compressed all the remaining, vast spiritual power in a profound way that Shen Mo could not yet comprehend, a way that was almost like the "Dao"!

"Ugh—!"

A silent, yet soul-shattering roar resounded in Shen Mo's "heart." He saw Qing Yunzi's figure tremble violently as he condensed his divine soul, becoming even more illusory. The terrifying wound widened, and the demonic energy intensified its erosion. But the determination in his eyes burned ever brighter.

Finally, just before his soul was about to completely collapse and dissipate due to this insane act, Qingyunzi suddenly "teared" it apart!

A faint, yet incredibly refined, pale golden remnant soul, containing Qingyunzi's core Daoist essence and a trace of undying true spirit, was forcibly "torn" out of his own collapsing divine soul essence!

This tear seemed to have exhausted all his last strength and life force. His already illusory figure instantly became almost transparent, as if he would turn into specks of light and disappear in the next moment.

"go!"

With his last ounce of willpower, Qingyunzi gently pushed the pale golden remnant soul.

The remnant soul transformed into a barely perceptible golden ray, not flying away into the distance, but... seemingly following some pre-set trajectory, merging into the chaotic, fragmented void ripples that subtly followed some law of reincarnation, and instantly disappearing! That was... the trajectory of reincarnation!