Talisman Emperor

Chen Xi was shocked and slightly speechless.

If Xuan was the seventh Comprehender of the River Diagram, then what number… am I?

After that, Chen Xi laughed endlessly with self-ridicule in his heart. The River Diagram he'd obtained was still in fragments, and he still hadn't gathered the complete River Diagram, so how could he even be ranked amongst them?

At the same time, because of the words 'master of the Manku Secret Realm', it allowed Chen Xi to confirm his thoughts from before. This Xuan who was the first 'innate god' born from the Chaos of the Manku period was definitely a god that had once resided at the Desolate Manku Ruins according to the legends.

In other words, the Desolate Manku Ruins that lay outside the God Burial Ocean and the Ancestral Root Grounds that contained numerous fortuitous encounters were Xuan's homeland!

When he realized this, Chen Xi couldn't help but sigh with emotion. No wonder the mysterious characters for desolate and ruins appeared on the River Diagram fragments, and no wonder I obtained the inheritance of the bloodied damaged sword upon arriving at the Desolate Manku Ruins….

It turns out that all of this is because of this seventh Comprehender of the River Diagram that's sitting before him, Xuan!

It was even to the extent that Chen Xi realized that since it wasn't just the characters for desolate and ruins that had appeared on the River Diagram fragments, and since the characters for desolate and ruins allowed him to meet Xuan by chance, then who did the remaining ancient characters represent?

Were they the other six Comprehenders of the River Diagram before Xuan?

Or perhaps there were other secrets hidden in the River Diagram?

"Fellow Daoist, you've arrived." Right when all of these thoughts arose rapidly in Chen Xi's heart, Xuan who sat cross-legged before him had spoken abruptly. His voice was warm, clean, and like a clear spring that caused one's heart to feel tranquil.

Chen Xi was stunned, and then he cupped his hands silently.

He knew that this was a strand of Will Brand that Xuan left behind, and it didn't possess intelligence or a consciousness. So, he just had to listen.

"Unfortunately, for the sake of pursuing the ultimate path of the Dao, I'm unable to meet Fellow Daoist in person, and I've only left everything I've learned, everything I've thought of, and everything I've comprehended here.

"This is the mission of every single Comprehender of the River Diagram. The moment we truly see through the meaning behind the ultimate path, it would also be the time we have to leave, whereas, everything we have learned has to be left behind in order to guide the next and pass down our legacy.

"If Fellow Daoist is able to step foot onto the ultimate path of the Dao one day, then Fellow Daoist will naturally have to do as I did. You'll have to leave all your ultimate techniques, pass down the fruits of your Dao, and prevent the legacy from ceasing.

Xuan's entire body was suffused by strands of ethereal light while his voice was warm and clear, and it resounded through this dark universe like a gurgling spring.

Chen Xi grew more and more shocked as he listened, and he finally understood why he was able to obtain the inheritance of the bloodied damaged sword.

Before he could make any reaction, Xuan suddenly stood up and smiled as he said, "Fellow Daoist, take care of yourself."

As he spoke, Xuan stretched out his finger and pointed it at the center of Chen Xi's forehead.

Om!

Chen Xi felt his mind drone, and it felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. It caused his vision to go blank, and he instantly lose his senses.

……

In the next moment, Chen Xi felt as if he'd fallen into a dream.

In the dream, strand after strand of sword qi whistled through the air. They sometimes seemed to surge like an ocean that crushed everything before them; they sometimes flowed without a trace like light and moved undetected; they sometimes formed a balance between Yin and Yang, causing them to become immovable by all things….

All of these strands of sword qi were extremely terrifying. They were filled with the might of an imperial sovereign and controlled the Divine Dao of the universe. They whistled and surged in a boundless and dense mass, and they filled every single inch of space within his field of vision, causing him to be unable to lay eyes upon all of them.

After that, all of these strands of sword qi suddenly changed their direction, and they attacked him in unison. It was like a storm of swords was descending, and it was an astounding scene.

This caused Chen Xi's heart to palpitate, and he intended to flee, yet it was already too late. In the next moment, his entire body was drowned beneath the sword qi.

It was at this instant that Chen Xi suddenly woke up, and he opened his eyes.

The scene from before had vanished, and it caused Chen Xi to be unable to help but let out a long sigh of relief while his eyes still carried a wisp of horror.

That scene that occurred in the dream from before was truly too terrifying, and if it really occurred in reality, then Chen Xi absolutely didn't dare guarantee that he would be able to survive it.

Wu~ Wu~ Wu~

Chen Xi was still standing on that open field. Waves of cold wing whistled by him, and they emanated a bleak rustling sound.

Only the dense expanse of ancient ancestral god corpses had vanished, and that bloodied damaged sword at the end of the open field was gone as well.

As he gazed at the scene before him, Chen Xi was dazed in his heart. If his mind wasn't clear right now, he would have almost thought that everything he experienced just now wasn't real.

Hmm? Chen Xi suddenly noticed that the bloodied damaged sword had suddenly appeared within his sea of consciousness, and it was floating there while emanating a strand of obscure fluctuations.

Bang!

Right at this moment, that familiar feeling he felt when he experienced the dream from before surged over like a torrent, and it surged throughout his heart.

It was a form of Sword Insight. It was different from the Mysterious Sword of the Heart, yet it seemed as if it was cut from the same cloth as the Mysterious Sword of the Heart. The only difference was that it possessed specific moves.

A wisp of sword qi appeared. It was vast like an ocean, solid like a cliff, and filled with a powerful force that crushed all things!

Comprehension arose in Chen Xi's heart. He was clearly aware that the profundities of this move were shockingly similar to the 'Calm Before The Storm' that he'd created himself. However, this Ocean Cliff Style carried a thoroughly tempered and all-powerful aura.

Profound Heart Sword Technique — Ocean Cliff Style!

Swoosh!

Another wisp of sword qi appeared. It was like a flowing ray of light that moved without leaving a trace behind. It seemed to be impossible to discern or capture, and its speed was unbelievably swift. However, it wasn't so mysterious and ruthless like the Vorpal Strike, and it had an ethereal and indistinct aura instead.

Profound Heart Sword Technique — Flowing Light Style!

During the next period of time, another two different sword moves had appeared successively. One was precise like how a butcher dismembered an ox, and it was focused and swift to the limit. It was called the Dismemberment Style!

The other was a perfect barrier of the sword that had no weaknesses to exploit. Its defensive ability was so formidable that it was like a rock in a turbulent current. No matter how the current surged, it remained immovable, and this move was called the Impeccable Style!

At this point, the powerful and vast comprehensions of the Sword Dao had transformed from complicated to simply, and they'd converged into four completely different sword moves that were grasped by Chen Xi.

This inheritance in the Sword Dao was called the Profound Heart Sword Technique, and it was from the seventh Comprehender of the River Diagram, Xuan. It was a form of supreme Sword Dao that he'd tempered throughout his life.

If the True Heart Sutra and Mysterious Sword of the Heart that Chen Xi obtained from the diagram of the bloodied damaged sword were two cultivation techniques that supplemented each other, then the Profound Heart Sword Technique he obtained now had converged Xuan's lifetime experience in the Sword Dao. It was the epitome of a masterpiece in the Sword Dao. In terms of preciousness, it was an unequalled sword scripture that could arouse the greed and covetous feelings of any sword cultivators in the world!

……

At this moment, Chen Xi had fell completely into a state of instant enlightenment.

His entire body was enshrouded by Sword Insight, and it was like he was covered in a layer of hazy divine radiance. It caused his aura to seem mighty like a god and supreme like an imperial sovereign.

His cultivation in the Sword Dao had already attained the first level of the Sword Emperor Realm since a long time ago. Now, when he obtained the Profound Heart Sword Technique, it caused his understanding of the Sword Dao to rise a level higher, and it was faintly showed signs of breaking through into the second level of the Sword Emperor Realm.

Under the effects of such comprehension, even the vital energy in Chen Xi's underwent a transformation as well, and it became even more complete, perfect, and translucent….

If it continued like this, then it was extremely likely for him to capture the critical factor to advance into the Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm.

Rumble!

On the other hand, Divine Energy surged in the universe within his body. It seethed like lava and emanated blazing and dazzling divine radiance as it surged without end. Moreover, it ceaselessly expanses, and it had already attained a full state and was on the verge of seeping out of his body!

An ordinary cultivator would have probably grabbed onto this critical moment a long time ago, and that cultivator would have refined and absorbed an Ancestral Dao Root to charge into the Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm at full strength.

However, Chen Xi didn't do that. Even if he already possessed an eighth-grade Ancestral Dao Root now, he didn't have any intention to charge into the Universe Enlightened Ancestral God Realm now.

After all, once one attained a cultivation like his, one's requirements towards one's own path towards the Dao would become even harsher. One sought perfection and flawlessness. So, if he utilized an eighth-grade Ancestral Dao Root as his foundation now and broke through, then he would have a trace of a flawed feeling in the end.

One day later, Chen Xi awoke from his state of instant comprehension. The blazing divine radiance that covered his entire body was suddenly withdrawn into his body, and he recovered his extraordinary and indifferent bearing from before.

It was also at this moment that a voice suddenly resounded from the bloodied damaged sword in his sea of consciousness. "Fellow Daoist, when you attain the ninth level of the Sword Emperor Realm, you'll be able to unlock clues related to attaining the ultimate path of the Dao from within this King Xuan Sword. I hope I'll be able to meet Fellow Daoist in the future. Take care."

The voice was calm, clean, and gradually vanished into silence.

The ultimate path of the Dao…. Chen Xi took a deep breath, and he muttered. "I will."

……

"It really is him. Master, I've finally waited for this day to arrive…." Outside the Ancestral Root Grounds and before the Ancestral Root Temple, the temple guardian that sat cross-legged on the altar before the temple suddenly opened his eyes. His extremely aged face was suffused with a wisp of a complicated expression, and he seemed to be gratified, excited, and sighing with emotion.

After that, he stood up, and he looked at the temple before him while a wisp of a deep glow flashed in his eyes.

"It's about time for the Genesis Ancestral Root to make an appearance as well…." His aged voice drifted through the heavens and the earth, and it was like a prediction.

……

Bang!

The Ancestral Root Grounds. At the place where the violet light had shot into the sky, and the cultivators who were waiting her patiently suddenly noticed that the ground beneath their feet had started to tremble violently.

In an area of 50,000km, the ruins crumbled, rocks shot into the surroundings, and horrifying rifts split open on the ground and stretched towards the distance.

On the other hand, at this moment, the rays of lightning that stood on guard around the violet light were suddenly suffused with a bright glow, and they transformed into a matchlessly large vortex that revolved madly.

The violet light just happened to seem as if it was standing towering at the core of this vortex. At this moment, a rain of light suddenly showered down from the surroundings of the violet light. It was brilliant, vast, filled with divine light, and extremely grand.

"What's that?"

"Could it be that… the Genesis Ancestral Root is about to appear?"

"It's definitely that!"

"Everyone, quickly prepare yourselves. We'll take action at the first possible moment once the Genesis Ancestral Root appears!"

When they witnessed this shocking scene, all the cultivators in the surroundings were shocked, and then their gazes couldn't help but be suffused with a wisp of excitement and happiness.

They had a feeling that the Genesis Ancestral Root was really about to appear!

Rumble!

The ground quaked even more violently while a strand of an oppressive and obscure force had suddenly suffused the heavens and the earth.

After that, with the violet light as its center, the rain of light and divine radiance emanated by it actually converged together and gradually formed the shape of a blurry palace in space!