Talisman Emperor

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ

The boundless heavens and the earth were covered in an expanse of grey.

A figure stood amidst it with his hands behind his back while a myriad of divine chains formed from the Laws and Order of the Heaven Dao flowed around him, causing him to seem supreme, immeasurable, and indistinct.

Another figure sat cross-legged on the ground. He was thin, short, and extremely ordinary. However, he possessed a boundlessly lofty aura.

The first figure belonged to the Sovereign Sect's Master.

The second figure belonged to the Dao Institute's Dean, Liu Shenji.

Both of them could be considered as extraordinary overlords who had left behind countless legends through the ages!

"Old man Liu, you're clearly aware destroying this Will Doppelganger of yours won't affect much, so why speak about life and death?" The voice of the Sovereign Sect's Master was faint, low, without even a trace of emotion, and filled with supreme dignity.

"At the very least, my death is sufficient to doom the Dao Institute." Liu Shenji smiled indifferently while his extremely ordinary and thin face remained tranquil. "Unfortunately, it's quite difficult for you to accomplish that now."

Swish!

As they spoke with each other, numerous Divine Chains of Order had transformed into rays of light that descended from the sky. They descended onto Liu Shenji like bolts of lightning, yet they were only able to cause sparks to fly around him.

Liu Shenji seemed as if he hadn't noticed all of this at all, and he just said, "Or perhaps you can choose to join forces with Ji Xingtang. At that time, you might be able to accomplish it within 10 years of time. However, according to my deductions, you wouldn't dare take such a risk as well. After all, both Oracle Mountain and Nuwa's Dao Palace are still eying your Sovereign Sect with hostility."

The Sovereign Sect's Master jus listened silently without interrupting Liu Shenji, and he waited until Liu Shenji was done before he said indifferently, "You're right."

A wisp of faint ridicule arose on the corners of Liu Shenji's mouth. "Could it be that you came to engage in idle chitchat?"

The Sovereign Sect's Master didn't answer Liu Shenji. He strode forward and sat casually in midair while boundless Order of the Heaven Dao circulated within his eyes like a dense star filled universe, and they were suffused with a mysterious glow.

After a long moment of silence, the Sovereign Sect's Master said, "Amongst all of the us old geezers, you, Liu Shenji, are the most ordinary and stubborn. However, you just happen to have cultivated to such a state. It truly surprises me."

Liu Shenji smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment.

Right at this moment, the Sovereign Sect's Master suddenly said, "Do you really think you'll be able to escape safely this time?"

Liu Shenji spoke in a composed manner. "At the very least, I'll be able to persist for 100 years."

"100 years pass in the blink of an eye. Your persistence is bound to be for naught." The Sovereign Sect's Master spoke indifferently like an overlord that was passing judgment over one's fate.

"In the blink of an eye, but perhaps a change in the situation might arise?" Liu Shenji smiled.

"It's impossible now." The Sovereign Sect's Master stood up, and he placed his hands behind his back as he strode through the distant grey sky. "Once the Battle of Dao Protectors begins, all variables will be completely annihilated.

His tone was calm as if he was describing a fact.

"Oh?" Liu Shenji smiled and remained silent.

"Could it be that you're just like that fellow from Oracle Mountain, and you've placed all your hopes on an extremely weak little fellow to obstruct all of this?" The Sovereign Sect's Master spoke abruptly.

Even though he hadn't mentioned who the little fellow was, Liu Shenji seemed to have instantly understood and couldn't help but chuckle. "What do you mean?"

The Sovereign Sect's Master's gaze was deep and seemed as if a universe was being created within it as he said indifferently, "Old man Liu, could you really be thinking that I've never paid attention to that kid?"

Before Liu Shenji could answer, the Sovereign Sect's Master continued. "All of you are mistaken. I paid clear attention to every single action he has taken since he was born.

"After all, only he obtained the River Diagram, the Netherworld Register, and the Condemn Evil Brush. Moreover, only he was able to enter the Door of Last Days and survive. I've never overlooked such a variable."

No one knew what Liu Shenji thought at this moment, and he just nodded. "That little fellow, Chen Xi, is extraordinary indeed."

The Sovereign Sect's Master actually fully agreed with this and actually sighed with emotion. "He's naturally extraordinary. He possessed a River Diagram fragment that the Heaven Dao refined into a '道' character since the moment he was born. Such supreme fortune isn't something that just anyone can possess."

At this instant, Liu Shenji's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, and he said, "Since you were aware of all of this, then why didn't you put an end to it at the very beginning?"

The Sovereign Sect's Master shook his head. "It would truly be boring if I did that."

Liu Shenji chuckled coldly. "It looks to me like you have other plans."

The Sovereign Sect's Master neither agreed nor disagreed, and he spoke indifferently. "In short, even though he's an extraordinary variable, it won't be long before he'll be completely eliminated from the world. His death will put an end to all variable. Don't you think?"

Liu Shenji remained silent for a moment before he said, "You came here to tell me this?"

The Sovereign Sect's Master shook his head and said, "I just wanted to tell you that you still have time to submit right now. It will be too late if you wait until the day that I emerge from the Dao Terra Firma."

Liu Shenji seemed as if he hadn't heard the meaning behind these words, and he smiled and said, "Then why don't we speak again when you've emerged from the Dao Terra Firma?"

The Sovereign Sect's Master stared at Liu Shenji for a long time before he said, "You really are stubborn."

He turned around and walked away once he finished speaking.

Liu Shenji suddenly spoke from afar. "Wait."

The Sovereign Sect's Master stopped moving, and he didn't turn around as he said, "Have you changed your mind?"

"No. I just wanted to tell you that even if I'm the most ordinary and stubborn, I still more freely than a dog beneath the Heaven Dao's feet." Liu Shenji's roaring laughter reverberated through the surroundings and shook the clouds in the sky.

The Sovereign Sect's Master stood silently on the spot, and he actually didn't become infuriated or refute this.

He sighed a long time later, and his voice was actually indescribably desolate. "Even though I've been fighting all of you for so many years, none of you are able to truly understand my thoughts. It's really such a pity."

His voice was indistinct, and his figure had vanished.

The smile on Liu Shenji's face was gradually restrained when he heard this, and then his brows knit together slowly. He muttered after a long time passed. "Could that old bastard have other plans?"

…

5 years later.

The Godrank Mountain that stood towering through the ages and was boundlessly tall and lofty had appeared within Chen Xi's field of vision.

The mountain was still eternally ancient, mysterious, dignified, and filled with the aura of the Heaven Dao which instilled reverence in the hearts of all living beings.

However, unlike in the past, the surface of Godrank Mountain was actually surging incessantly with grey colored tribulation clouds.

The tribulation clouds were thick, gloomy, and frequently flickered with strands of shocking lightning. They covered the entire mountain, and they actually made it seem like the source of all calamities!

"Did that unexpected changed in the Heaven Dao that has brought chaos to the world for hundreds of years come from here?" Chen Xi's pupils couldn't help but constrict when he witnessed this scene. He was able to clearly sense that the Order and Laws of Godsbane heaven were trembling like a berserk torrent, and it was ceaselessly seething throughout Godrank Mountain.

It was even to the extent that the River Diagram fragments that were in deep slumber within his sea of consciousness seemed as if they'd noticed danger, and they emanated a strange and obscure force to cover Chen Xi's entire body.

"It should have." Wu Xuechan stared at Godrank Mountain for a long time, and then he said, "That's the core and central base of the Order and Laws of the Heaven Dao, yet it's also the source of the unexpected chaos that erupted throughout the world.

"So, if we're able to enter Godrank Mountain to have a look, then we might be able to discover the truth behind everything?" Chen Xi seemed to be lost in thought.

"It's best if you don't." Wu Xuechan frowned and said, "The energy created by the unexpected change in the Heaven Dao is too terrifying, so entering rashly would definitely end in your death."

Chen Xi was stunned. "But it won't be long before the Battle of Dao Protectors will begin on Godrank Mountain. Wouldn't I still have to go there then?"

Wu Xuechan was clearly stunned, and then he said, "Perhaps the situation on Godrank Mountain will change once the Battle of Dao Protectors begins."

As he spoke, he continued teleporting, and it wasn't long before they saw the enormous Primal Chaos Origin floating in the starry sky.

Swish!

This time, Chen Xi withdrew a command token, and it transformed into a ray of light that shot into the depths of a spatial passageway on the Primal Chaos Origin.

The Chen Clan's Ancestor, Chen Lingkong, had given him that command token before he left the Chen Clan that day, and he just had to withdraw it before he could enter smoothly into the Nine Spirit World that belonged to the Chen Clan.

In next to no time, the grey mist around the spatial passageway had silently moved aside to fully reveal the passageway before their eyes.

"Let's go!" Wu Xuechan flicked his sleeve, and he brought Chen Xi and Ming along as he charged into the passageway and vanished.

A short while later, space fluctuated on the spot which Chen Xi stood on just now, and then Xu Tuo, Leng Xinghun, and that woman's figures appeared there.

"As expected, they've arranged for that little bastard to represent the Chen Clan…." A wisp of a bright light flashed through Xu Tuo's muddy eyes, and then his figure flashed as he brought Leng Xinghun and the woman along into another spatial passageway.

…

The sky was azure blue and covered in white clouds that seemed like cotton, and pure and dense chaotic energy suffused the world.

When he arrived here in Nine Spirit World once more, Chen Xi's emotions were completely different from before, and there was a trace of anticipation within him.

He wasn't feeling anticipation towards the Chen Clan being able to change its attitude towards him, and he was anticipating his reunion with his parents instead!

Most importantly, once he was able to return safely from the Battle of Dao Protectors, then the agreement he had with Chen Taichong would allow him to take his parents with him from the Chen Clan.

"Hahaha! It really is the Grand Lord and Young Brother Chen Xi." A wave of lighthearted and roaring laughter resounded from afar, and then Chen Taichong's figure had already appeared out of thin air.

He wasn't able to conceal the smile on his thin face upon catching sight of Wu Xuechan and Chen Xi, and he seemed to be very gratified that Chen Xi and Wu Xuechan had come as agreed.

"Come, please follow me." After they greeted each other, Chen Taichong led Chen Xi's group towards the distance.

Chen Taichong wasn't able to restrain himself while they were on the way, and he said, "Everything has been prepared for the Battle of Dao Protectors. I'll give you the list of participants later. Please do take a look at it, and then we'll discuss the specifics."