174: Chapter 171 On the Way

Finally. As the last corner of the bell body submerged into that pitch-black vortex, the aura of the Ten Thousand Yao Bell completely vanished from between this heaven and earth.

The prison suppressing pagoda had devoured it!

After doing all this, the entire body of the prison suppressing pagoda flashed with a deep, dark luster, and the ancient and vicissitudinous aura on the pagoda body seemed to thicken by another fraction.

Immediately, it swayed slightly, turned into a stream of light, and submerged back into Chen Zhiwen's body, falling silent.

Chen Zhiwen frowned slightly.

He could feel that after the prison suppressing pagoda devoured the Ten Thousand Yao Bell, it seemed to have undergone a subtle change, but what exactly it was, he could not articulate for the moment.

It was as if a beast that had eaten its fill had fallen into a deeper slumber.

He calmed his mind and carefully investigated, but did not discover any abnormalities.

Simply put, he stopped overthinking it.

He was already accustomed to the mystery of the prison suppressing pagoda.

He retracted the indestructible dark clan clone and swept his gaze across the area below once more.

Outside the mountain gate, those Cultivators who had come to watch the battle, having witnessed this unbelievable scene, dared not stay for even a moment longer.

Carrying hearts full of horror and unrestrainable shock, they turned into streams of light and fled in panic in all directions across the Desolate Province.

It was foreseeable that everything that happened before the Zetian Sect mountain gate today would, in the shortest amount of time, stir up a monstrous wave sweeping across the entire Desolate Province!

The name of Chen Zhiwen would no longer be a simple name.

It would become the brand of an era, a myth that would make countless people feel awe, fear, and even tremble!

...

The speed at which the news spread was far faster than imagined.

In just one day.

Desolate Province, Northern Sea.

Inside an ancient Dragon palace hovering above the boundless ocean, the atmosphere was suppressed to the extreme.

Dozens of powerful Yao Race kings had all transformed into human forms, kneeling silently in the grand hall, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The throne in the grand hall was empty.

But in front of that throne, a blue scale that had shattered into several pieces was floating.

That was... the life-bound Dragon scale belonging to Old Ancestor Ao Shang!

All the Yao Race present knew exactly what it meant for a life-bound Dragon scale to shatter.

"Defeated..."

"The five Old Ancestors... have all... fallen..."

I do not know how long it had been before one Yao king, using a voice like a sleep-talking dream, filled with disbelief, muttered to himself.

His voice broke the dead silence, but it also made the aura of despair and fear become even thicker.

Silence.

Death-like silence.

After a long time, an old and weary voice rang out leisurely from the depths of the Dragon palace.

"Convey my decree."

"All tribes of the Northern Sea, immediately... withdraw troops."

"Abide by... the contract."

As this voice fell, the entire Dragon palace fell into an eternal silence.

...

And as the originator of all this, Chen Zhiwen seemed like an outsider.

He remained at the Zetian Sect.

At the foot of Qinghua Mountain, at the Peak of the sea of clouds.

Chen Zhiwen and Wang Ming sat opposite each other. Between them, there was no tea, no wine, only wisps of profound Dao rhymes colliding and interweaving in the Void Realm.

They were discussing the Dao.

"The Hegemonic Sword Domain takes my heart as the heart of heaven, and my will as the will of heaven. It appears hegemonic, but it is actually an ultimate 'Self' Dao."

Chen Zhiwen's black hair was disheveled, his voice calm, as he expounded on his insights regarding the Domain.

"Your Dao is very pure, and also very powerful."

Wang Ming nodded, his turbid eyes flashing with the light of wisdom.

"But that which is too rigid is easily broken. Your Domain has more than enough killing power, but lacks transformation. If you encounter a true Peak expert who uses softness to overcome rigidity, your hegemony may become your shackle."

Chen Zhiwen heard this and fell into deep thought.

Wang Ming's words hit the nail on the head.

His Hegemonic Sword Domain was indeed invincible, but that was under the suppression of absolute power.

Just as Wang Ming said, if he encountered an existence in the same realm, or even stronger, this pure hegemony might instead become a flaw.

"Senior's meaning is..."

Chen Zhiwen asked humbly for guidance.

"Combining rigidity and softness is the true Dao."

Wang Ming spoke slowly, "Your hegemony is a sharp sword with its edge exposed, while my Dao is the thick and boundless earth. A sword can shatter mountains, but it is hard to break the earth. You can try to integrate a trace of the 'Defense' Concept into your 'Domain'."

One word awakened the dreamer!

In Chen Zhiwen's eyes, a brilliant divine light erupted instantly!

"Defense!"

What he had always pursued was ultimate offense, the hegemony to slash and destroy everything, yet he had never thought of integrating the will of protection into his own Domain!

Only when offense and defense are both equipped can it be called Perfection!

"Many thanks for Senior's guidance!"

Chen Zhiwen stood up and bowed deeply to Wang Ming.

This bow was gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

Wang Ming accepted it calmly, a smile appearing on his face.

"Between you and me, there is no need for this."

He looked at Chen Zhiwen, his eyes full of appreciation, "Your talent is the only one I have ever seen in my life. Discussing the Dao with you, this old man has also benefited greatly."

These past few days, the two of them discussed the Dao day and night, from the mysteries of the Domain, to the circulation of Qi and blood, to the tempering of the Divine Soul, almost talking about everything.

Wang Ming was worthy of being the number one expert in the Desolate Province; his knowledge and insights were like a vast ocean, making Chen Zhiwen see his future path more clearly.

And Chen Zhiwen's unconstrained ideas, which pointed directly to the Origin of the Dao, often gave Wang Ming a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

This was an exchange between both teacher and friend, allowing both of them to be immersed in it, enjoying it tirelessly.

On this day, the discussion of the Dao ended.

Chen Zhiwen walked around the Zetian Sect at will, and inadvertently came to a quiet bamboo forest.

Deep in the bamboo forest, a figure was sitting cross-legged.

It was Gu Qibai.

At this moment, his face was as pale as paper, and between his brows, a wisp of cold Death Qi that could not be dispelled was lingering.

His aura was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, extremely unstable.

Chen Zhiwen's brows frowned slightly.

He could feel that the cold aura in Gu Qibai's body seemed to have grown stronger compared to last time.

This aura, like a maggot on the bone, was constantly eroding his vitality and cultivation.

If this continued for long, Gu Qibai would likely... not have much time left.