Chapter 563

Chapter 563: Where the Heart Wills, the Body Follows

"On the Dao Clan’s turf, we follow Daoist brother’s arrangements in all matters," Eternal Celestial Lord said with a laugh.

"Indeed."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was not until the hour of Zi that the group finally dispersed.

In a side hall.

Luo Qianchen sat cross-legged.

Footsteps sounded outside the hall.

Feng Suiyuan, clad in white robes, walked in slowly.

"Stop there, Daoist friend."

Luo Qingcheng materialized in front of Feng Suiyuan. Frowning slightly, she demanded, "What is your purpose?"

"I wish to see my disciple," Feng Suiyuan replied, smiling faintly. "After a mentor-disciple bond spanning millions of years, do I no longer have the right to even meet her?"

"Grandmother."

Luo Qianchen emerged from the hall and addressed Luo Qingcheng, "Since master has come seeking me, he must have words for me."

She looked at Feng Suiyuan and said, "Master, please come in."

Feng Suiyuan smiled slightly and stepped into the hall.

"This master truly never imagined that the disciple I nurtured with such care would turn out to be the inheritor of the Dao Clan," Feng Suiyuan said as he sat down and poured himself a cup of hot tea.

"I also never dreamed that the master I respected most, had been treating me as a mere chess piece," Luo Qianchen said impassively.

"A chess piece?"

Feng Suiyuan seemed lost in thought for an instant, then shook his head with a soft, bitter laugh. "Qianchen, you only know that the nine young masters are chess pieces for myself and the other eight. But have you ever considered one thing?"

Luo Qianchen tilted her head, looking at him.

"Perhaps all nine of us are merely chess pieces… of the Heavenly Book."

Feng Suiyuan’s eyes closed slightly.

Thump!

His words struck Luo Qianchen like a drumbeat resonating on impact deep within her heart. A flash of profound horror crossed her eyes, yet settled rapidly, leaving behind lingering suspicion.

"Master, have you come this time to finally reveal the secrets of the Heavenly Book?" Luo Qianchen asked.

"I know but little of the Heavenly Book’s secrets," Feng Suiyuan replied.

"However, there is one point I must explain to you."

He fixed his gaze on Luo Qianchen. "Myself, and the other eight Daoist friends, never intended from the beginning to consume you to seize the Heavenly Book."

Luo Qianchen’s heart jolted violently.

"Of course, everything is too late now," Feng Suiyuan continued. "The Dao Clan will never tolerate the Reincarnation Heavenly Book falling into my hands. That is why they seek to kill me."

"You… knew it all?" Waves of emotion crashed over Luo Qianchen’s heart.

"Since you knew, why did you still come?"

The master and disciple spoke from the heart. Luo Qianchen’s hatred dissolved. Solemnly, she declared, "Master, leave now, and I can guarantee no one will touch you."

A gratified smile touched Feng Suiyuan’s lips as he gently shook his head.

"Where the heart yearns to go, the body will follow."

He chanted quietly, "Long ago, I was but a mere mortal. By chance, I glimpsed the Reincarnation Heavenly Book and thereby comprehended the Reincarnation Dao Scripture."

"Step by step, I cultivated to the pinnacle of Great Celestial Lord, looking down upon heaven and earth."

Feng Suiyuan’s gaze burned with intensity. "This time, the opening of the Dao Clan’s ancestral land lays the path entirely for your sake."

"If the Heavenly Book is to appear in the world, it will be within this event."

Luo Qianchen understood.

As a cultivator, she knew the heart of the Pursuit of the Dao all too well.

Feng Suiyuan was also a seeker of the Dao.

Or rather, having cultivated to his level, the Dao had become his life’s ultimate pursuit.

However.

The Dao Clan would absolutely never surrender the Reincarnation Heavenly Book without a fight.

The outcome was already inevitable.

"This master has left a scripture in the Reincarnation Hall. If I perish here, return to it," Feng Suiyuan rose and walked towards the door. "That scripture records my lifetime’s insights into cultivation and all I know of the Heavenly Book’s secrets."

His voice faded as Feng Suiyuan vanished.

A complex expression settled on Luo Qianchen’s face.

"Hmph!"

"Knows no limits, that one." Luo Qingcheng snorted coldly.

Three days flashed by in an instant.

On this day, the moon shone bright while the stars were sparse.

Mu Fanyin, Ye Li, Li Ruoyu, and others stood aloft in the air, gazing towards the altar within Water Moon Mountain.

The moonlight and starlight intertwined, shimmering upon the rippling surface of a deep pool. The water seemed to hold within its depths the full moon, the scattered stars, and the entire starry sky, creating a dreamlike, illusory, and profoundly mysterious scene.

Boom!

Upon the Seven Stars Altar, Luo Qinchuan stirred his magic with fervor. Seven beams of immortal light erupted skywards, piercing into the firmament. In an instant, the heavens and the earth blazed as brightly as noon.

"It finally begins."

The ancestral dragon sighed deeply. "Such a pity, though. The Dao Clan’s ancestral land is sealed and suppressed. We are destined never to witness its true depths."

Yuanfeng commented, "If beings like us could enter, wouldn’t that plunge everything into chaos?"

"This grand event is meticulously prepared by the Dao Clan for its heir. It remains to be seen what heights it will propel their Ninth Young Master to."

"The Dao Clan’s history stretches back through eons," she added. "None truly know the full extent of their past."

Eternal Celestial Lord said lightly, "It wouldn’t be impossible for even a powerful being of the Dao One realm to emerge from this clan’s ancestors."

"Truly."

Celestial Lord Linglong nodded slightly.

The ancestral dragon’s gaze flickered imperceptibly toward Mu Fanyin and the others.

Ye Xu’s sixteen-word prophecy involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Under Heaven, the Primordial Qi; The Pure Land, Haotian Divine Offspring.

The legendary Haotian Divine Offspring was deeply intertwined with the Dao Clan’s ancestral land. Setting foot in the ancestral land likely meant encountering the Haotian lineage.

This lineage’s origin was no less formidable than the Dao Clan’s itself.

Boom!

Within seven streaks of immortal light, countless methods erupted simultaneously. Numerous divine powers converged, gradually melding into one, transforming into a band of Seven-colored divine light that plunged into the Water Moon Pool.

Something wondrous occurred.

As the Seven-colored divine light touched down, the Water Moon Pool remained utterly undisturbed, without a single ripple.

In an instant.

The reflections upon the water flickered and shifted unpredictably, as though a gate through time and space had been forced open.

Simultaneously.

A tremendous roar echoed from the heavens. The void spanning hundreds of millions of miles rumbled like thunder, dissolving continuously like spring snow to reveal a marvelously intricate Dao Realm.

Everyone gazed upwards.

That world seemed transparent, perfectly displayed before their eyes.

Vast, surging mists churned, its silhouette flickering in and out of view.

With the ancestral land revealed,

every cultivator felt their heart surge with excitement.

Their magical power seemed to resonate with it, surging powerfully and ceaselessly, like ten thousand steeds galloping across the plains.

"Truly worthy of being the origin of vitality."

"All Laws Return to the Source."

Eternal Celestial Lord sighed.

Celestial Lord Linglong’s phoenix-like eyes widened in astonishment. Though she was at the Great Celestial Sovereign level, her essence, energy, and spirit formed a self-contained whole. Yet, the rules emanating from the Dao Clan’s ancestral land could distantly stir her vitality.

Utterly miraculous.

A gleam of light also appeared in Mu Fanyin’s eyes.

"Across the world, there are three such miraculous places," Mu Fanyin murmured.

Ye Li’s heart stirred.

Three miraculous lands… it likely referred to the ancestral lands of the Three Ancient Clans.

"I wonder just how many treasures lie within?" Li Ruoyu mused longingly.

"Don’t expect too much."

Ye Li solemnly declared, "Our adversaries might extend beyond that group."

"Who else is there?"

Li Ruoyu inquired.

"Pointless to tell you." Ye Li responded lightly, his expression turning grave.

The Haotian lineage remained shrouded in mystery.

Utterly inscrutable.

Not to be underestimated.

"Senior Mu…" Ye Li fixed his gaze on Mu Fanyin, rubbing his palms together with a sly grin. "Have any spare treasures lying around? Perhaps a Celestial Lord artifact or two you could casually bestow…"

Mu Fanyin teased, "Ten percent daily interest if borrowed."

"…"

Ye Li stared blankly.

Which shrewd merchant taught you this?

"I…"

Li Ruoyu hesitated, ultimately remaining silent.

Though possessing the legacy of the Great Celestial Lord of Creation, even that fortune couldn’t withstand reckless squandering.

Crack!

After an immeasurable time, a dust-veiled portal materialized in the void. Primeval energy erupted from its threshold, coalescing into breathtaking, miraculous visions.

"Honored guests," Luo Qinchuan announced, breathless and visibly aged from the exertion. "The Dao Clan’s ancestral land now lies open to you." Opening the sacred portal had drained his power immensely.

"Chen’er."

Luo Qingcheng admonished her daughter. "Remember, you belong to the Dao Clan. This destiny embraces you."

Luo Qianchen gave a resolute nod. "This disciple shall honor your trust and complete the baptism."

Swoosh!

She and another Dao Clan young woman soared toward the portal.

"Move!"

Disciple prodigies from the Immortal Palace of All Laws and the Chaotic Ancient God lineage surged forward, chasing Luo Qianchen’s silhouette into the ancestral heart.

"Master," vowed Yue Xun of Yuqing Palace, delivering his pledge. "This disciple pledges my utmost strength. I will sever those from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, avenging our fallen comrades of Yuqing Palace. Should I fail, I return bearing my own head."

"Fail," stated Celestial Lord Linglong dispassionately, "and your fate finds its end."

"…"

The Palace Master of Yuqing Palace knit his brow tightly.

"Proceed."

With a flick of Celestial Lord Linglong’s sleeve, young talents of the Luoshen Dynasty channeled their power and plunged into the ancestral realm.

"Hesitation yet holds value."

Mu Fanyin’s gaze rested upon Dao Sovereign Qingyuan and Li Ruoyu.

"Afraid?" Li Ruoyu threw back his head and laughed. "Impossible!"

In critical moments, he remained the unrivaled Heavenly Emperor defending against ten thousand.

The Dao Clan’s ancestral secrets presented a once-in-an-era opportunity; missing it was unthinkable.

"Excellent. Well said." Ye Li clapped Li Ruoyu’s shoulder. "Big Brother Li will carve a path straight through their stronghold for you."

Pure exhilaration filled him.

This avatar had cost him a staggering expanse of Hongmeng points. More crucially, he wielded The Book of Changes—the paramount technique beneath heaven. Failure to dominate cultivators of his own realm? Preposterous. He would sooner demand remolding.

"My moment begins at last."