53: Ancestral secrets, three colors in the destiny chart

**Ancient Path of Guicang · Mountain Gate's Mystery**

The riot of Burial Abyss's filth was forcefully suppressed, and the Star Vortex Barrier returned to stability. Above the platform, Profound Yellow mist flowed anew, yet it could not hide the tumultuous shock and probing in Zhang Yan's eyes. He took a deep look at Chen Feng; the origin point Dao charm flowing on his Chaos Dao Body now appeared to him not merely as a forbidden Dao Fruit, but more like a key that had been dormant for eons and finally revealed itself.

"Follow me," Zhang Yan's voice was low, carrying an undeniable decisiveness. With a flick of his sleeve, the Profound Yellow mist at the edge of the platform parted as if by an invisible hand, revealing an ancient stone staircase winding upwards, leading directly to the majestic mountain. The stone steps were neither gold nor jade, warm and substantial, each step naturally etched with intricate, profound patterns that subtly echoed the giant guardian Dao patterns on the mountain, exuding an ancient and resilient aura.

The three of them stepped onto the stone staircase.

The moment their feet landed, deep within Chen Feng's true spirit, the dormant ruins abyss imprint of the cosmic destiny plate unexpectedly pulsed again! This time, the pulsation did not come from the distant Sea of Guixu, but originated from the massive and majestic Guizang Divine Mountain beneath their feet!

Buzz!

An indescribable, ancient pulsation, imbued with eternal sorrow and an unyielding will to protect, like the breathing of a sleeping mountain spirit, clearly transmitted to Chen Feng's mind through the stone steps, through the mountain rocks, and through the ubiquitous Profound Yellow Mother Qi! This pulsation actually resonated strongly with a certain imprint deep within the life plate imprint!

At the same time, Su Wanzhao's nirvana guixu star core on her chest also trembled slightly, creating a deeper connection with the vast Star Vortex Barrier enveloping the mountain. It was as if a wanderer had returned home, and the rhythm of the star core's pulsation became more steady and powerful.

Zhang Yan seemed to sense something, pausing slightly in his steps. He did not turn back, but his gaunt figure appeared even more upright, as if silently enduring the scrutiny and entrustment from the ancestral mountain's will.

The stone steps wound through clouds and mist. The higher they ascended, the denser and purer the Profound Yellow Mother Qi in the mountains became, almost condensing into liquid spiritual mist, nourishing the strange plants that grew tenaciously in the cracks of the stone steps, emitting faint starlight. The air was filled with an ancient, profound, and calming aura.

After an unknown duration, the clouds and mist ahead suddenly cleared. A massive, ancient mountain gate, carved from a single piece of crystal flowing with Profound Yellow divine light, stood majestically at the end of the stone steps!

The mountain gate was over a hundred zhang tall, ancient and robust in form, showing no traces of carving, as if born of heaven and earth. Above the lintel, two colossal ancient divine characters, formed by intertwining star trajectories and mountain Dao patterns, exuded a majestic aura that suppressed all ages—**Guicang**!

The mountain gate was not closed but open. Behind the gate was not an ordinary mountain path, but an energy barrier flowing with rich Profound Yellow light, like liquid amber. On the barrier's surface, countless intricate and profound runes flowed ceaselessly, forming an extremely complex and precise guardian restriction. At the core of the restriction, an extremely faint but incredibly resilient bronze-colored spiritual light of guardian will, like an inextinguishable spark, slowly floated within the barrier.

"Shou Zhuo..." Su Wanzhao looked at that bronze spiritual light, a trace of pain and reverence flashing in her cold, starry eyes. That was precisely the remnant spiritual will of Junior Brother Shou Zhuo's guardian will, which had finally merged into the guixu xuanhuang origin point and then returned to the ancestral mountain!

Zhang Yan stopped before the gate, his expression solemn, and bowed deeply to the mountain gate and that bronze spiritual light. Then, he turned to Chen Feng, his gaze piercing: "Little Friend Chen Feng, this is the Guicang ancestral vein's guardian restriction, separating inside from out. It cannot be opened without the origin of the Profound Yellow ancestral vein or a specific token. Junior Brother Shou Zhuo's guardian will is one of the 'keys' recognized by Guicang Mountain. However..."

He changed his tone, pointing to the flowing Profound Yellow barrier: "This restriction is also the final test of our clan. Only those who truly possess the origin of the Profound Yellow ancestral vein and whose Dao Fruit can resonate with the ancestral vein are true 'People of Guicang'. Your cosmic destiny plate resonates with the ancestral mountain; now, it is up to you... to open this door!"

This was the final trial! And a crucial step to confirm Chen Feng's identity and the essence of his Dao Fruit!

Chen Feng took a deep breath, the light of Guixu and Xuanhuang flowing to its extreme in his Chaotic Eyes. He stepped forward, standing beneath the massive mountain gate, facing the guardian restriction barrier flowing with Profound Yellow light.

No deliberate activation was needed.

The moment he stood firm, the ruins abyss imprint of the cosmic destiny plate deep within his true spirit suddenly erupted with unprecedented profound light! A pure and profound Profound Yellow ancestral vein aura, originating from his life's essence, awakened with a roar from deep within his Chaos Dao Body, like a slumbering giant dragon opening its eyes!

At the same time, the bronze-colored spiritual light of guardian will floating at the core of the restriction, as if summoned by both a homologous bloodline and the life plate imprint, suddenly flared! It emitted a silent hum, perceivable only by the soul, full of relief and expectation!

Buzz—!!!

Chen Feng raised his right hand, not touching the barrier, but simply aligning his palm with that bronze spiritual light. The mighty power of the guixu xuanhuang origin point, mixed with his awakened Profound Yellow ancestral vein origin aura, transformed into an invisible, all-encompassing chaotic primordial fluctuation, gently enveloping it.

Like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

That bronze spiritual light leaped joyfully, instantly merging into the chaotic primordial fluctuation released by Chen Feng! The next moment, this unique fluctuation, integrating Shou Zhuo's guardian will, Chen Feng's ancestral vein origin, and the origin point's mighty power, like a master key with the highest authority, silently imprinted itself upon the flowing Profound Yellow restriction barrier!

Splash—!

Like ice melting and snow dissolving, or a scroll unfolding!

The Profound Yellow barrier, flowing with powerful guardian energy, did not resist upon contact with this merged fluctuation. Instead, as if encountering its true master, countless flowing runes instantly became docile, their light converging inward and spreading out, silently splitting open a gateway in the center of the barrier large enough for three people to pass through!

Beyond the door was not a mountain scene, but a light tunnel constructed from pure Profound Yellow divine light, leading deep into the mountain! From the depths of the tunnel emanated an even more ancient, more vast, and seemingly profound aura, as if containing the ultimate secrets of the universe!

The Gate of Guicang Ancestral Vein... opened!

Zhang Yan watched the scene before him, his last trace of doubt completely vanishing, replaced by immense excitement and solemnity: "The ancestral vein recognizes him! The life plate guides the way! Junior Brother Shou Zhuo... what you entrusted was indeed... the Fated One!"

"Go!" He no longer hesitated, stepping into the light tunnel first.

Chen Feng and Su Wanzhao followed closely behind.

---

**Ancestral Vein Remnants · Three Colors of the life plate**

Stepping into the light tunnel was like entering a tunnel of time and space. All around them was the ceaselessly flowing Profound Yellow divine light, warm and profound, nourishing their souls. The tunnel was not straight but wound downwards, as if leading to the core of the great mountain.

As they delved deeper, the life plate imprint deep within Chen Feng's true spirit pulsed with increasing intensity, almost bursting forth from his body! Su Wanzhao also felt her nirvana guixu star core's pulsation accelerate, resonating with a vast, dormant presence deep within the mountain.

After an unknown period, the path ahead suddenly opened up!

The three stepped out of the tunnel, and the sight before them made Chen Feng and Su Wanzhao instantly hold their breath!

This was an unimaginably vast internal space within the mountain. The "dome" and "walls" of the space were not rock, but were composed of countless colossal Profound Yellow energy conduits, interwoven and flowing like stellar veins! These conduits were as thick as mountains, with the purest Profound Yellow Mother Qi origin flowing within them, emitting a majestic vitality that nurtured all creation! They formed the skeleton of the entire space, and also seemed to be the life Veins of this Guizang Divine Mountain!

However, what shocked them profoundly was not these majestic ancestral vein roots, but the object suspended at the very core of the space!

There was no ground. Only an absolute, deep dark void, as if capable of devouring light. Within this void, an unimaginably vast, irregular, dark golden crystalline fragment, like a shattered star core, was suspended!

The fragment's surface was uneven and riddled with terrifying cracks, many areas even showing a distorted state after being melted by high temperatures and then solidified. It exuded an indescribable, cold and desolate Dao charm, yet it contained the terrifying mighty power to destroy all laws! Merely gazing at it from afar caused Chen Feng's Guixu power and Su Wanzhao's star core power to intensely pulse with... **filial affection**!

"nirvana starry sky core fragment..." Zhang Yan's voice, filled with endless desolation and gravity, echoed through this space, "This is the core object that our clan's Sacred Ancestor, before his demise, stripped from his disintegrating Dao Fruit and integrated into the foundation of Guicang Mountain! It is also the source of power for the outer guardian Star Vortex Barrier!"

Chen Feng and Su Wanzhao were utterly shaken! So the terrifying Star Vortex Barrier, which had easily swallowed the crime hunting star ark, had this shattered Sacred Ancestor Dao Fruit fragment as its core!

But what made Chen Feng's pupils shrink even more was—

Upon that colossal, dark golden core fragment, emanating the Dao charm of nirvana guixu, were three distinct objects, each flowing with light, embedded within it!

In the upper left, a palm-sized fragment, flowing with deep dark light, like the purest Sea of Guixu condensed, exuded the ultimate aura of cold desolation and all-consuming power—the **dark fragment**!

In the upper right, a similarly sized fragment, warm and substantial like the primordial membrane of the earth, exuded pure and ancient Profound Yellow Mother Qi divine light, containing the supreme mighty power to bear all things and nurture life—the **xuanhuang fragment**!

And at the core position, guarded by these two dark and xuanhuang fragments, was a disk fragment, only one-third remaining, of the most peculiar form, entirely composed of countless extremely tiny golden law runes, emitting a faint but incredibly resilient light! Although this golden fragment was broken, it was like the core of a highly precise instrument; countless tiny runes flowed and came into being, then perished, like living things, exuding a supreme will that commanded, analyzed, and deduced all laws! It was, by itself, arduously harmonizing the violent destructive power of the nirvana starry sky core fragment below, and the diametrically opposed Dao charms of the dark and xuanhuang fragments, maintaining a fragile balance!

**cosmic destiny plate Fragment**! And it was the core golden part!

The ruins abyss imprint deep within Chen Feng's true spirit was no longer merely pulsating, but emitting a deafening hum! Its dark light surged, generating a strong, cross-spatial resonance with the golden life plate fragment at the core of the fragment! His guixu xuanhuang origin point pulsed even more violently, as if it had found its lost origin!

"Do you see it?" Zhang Yan's voice, filled with ancient sorrow and a hint of hope, pointed to the three fragments, "The dark guixu origin fragment! The Profound Yellow ancestral qi origin fragment! And... the **cosmic destiny plate law core fragment (gold)**, which maintains, harmonizes, and drives all of this!"

"This is the root of that ruins abyss imprint within you! It is also the core component of the supreme Dao artifact, the **cosmic destiny plate**, that our Xuanhuang Remnant Clan's Sacred Ancestor once wielded to control the 'nirvana star dome' and traverse the cosmos, after it shattered!"

Boom!

It was like a divine thunderclap, splitting heaven and earth, exploding in Chen Feng's consciousness! All the clues instantly connected!

Why could he awaken the life plate imprint as a menial servant!

Why could the imprint help him forge the guixu xuanhuang origin point!

Why could he perceive and resonate with the guardian Star Vortex Barrier!

Why did Guicang Mountain's ancestral vein open its gate to him!

Everything stemmed from this!

He, Chen Feng, had not awakened a rootless Dao artifact! Instead, he had inherited the final core legacy of the supreme Dao artifact—the cosmic destiny plate—which carried the shattered Dao Fruit of the Xuanhuang Remnant Clan's Sacred Ancestor and had been lost for eons!

"The life plate is divided into three..." Chen Feng stared intently at the golden fragment that was operating arduously at the core, then looked at the dark and xuanhuang origin fragments. A thought uncontrollably arose: "My imprint originates from the golden core of the life plate... Does that mean... what my dao foundation lacks are precisely these two... origin fragments?!"

As if to confirm his thought—

Buzz! Buzz!

The dark fragment and the xuanhuang fragment embedded in the nirvana starry sky core fragment seemed to sense the homologous golden life plate core aura (imprint) within Chen Feng, as well as the attraction of his guixu xuanhuang origin point Dao Fruit, and simultaneously trembled slightly! The dark fragment emitted a cold fluctuation yearning to merge, while the xuanhuang fragment flowed with a warm and intimate summoning intent!

"Do you feel it?" Zhang Yan's voice was extremely solemn, "The life plate is divided into three: the core (gold) is within you, harmonizing all laws, it is the 'Wisdom' of the life plate! The two origins, dark (Guixu) and xuanhuang (ancestral qi), are the 'Power' of the life plate! Only when the three are united can it be the true cosmic destiny plate, and only then can it truly drive and command this... nirvana starry sky core fragment below, to reappear the supreme might of the Sacred Ancestor's 'nirvana star dome'!"

He suddenly pointed to the deep dark void below, his voice tinged with alarm: "However, maintaining this fragile balance and suppressing that thing below... has exhausted the last power of the life plate fragment and the nirvana starry sky core fragment! The source of the Burial Abyss's filth is precisely from..."

Before Zhang Yan finished speaking, another anomaly occurred!

Rumble—!!!

The entire mountain space suddenly vibrated violently! More intensely than when the Star Vortex Barrier was impacted before! The colossal Profound Yellow ancestral vein roots forming the space twisted and wailed madly, and the Profound Yellow Mother Qi flowing within them rapidly dimmed!

The nirvana starry sky core fragment, embedded with the three life plate fragments, suddenly erupted with unstable dark red light! From the terrifying cracks on its surface, the Burial Abyss filth, which had been forcefully suppressed earlier, surged out madly again, like a thoroughly enraged venomous dragon, mixed with even denser, more violent dark red bloody light and pitch black death aura!

This time, the filth no longer merely impacted the nirvana starry sky core fragment itself. Instead, as if conscious, it transformed into countless grotesque tentacles made of foul blood and curses, fiercely grabbing at the three life plate fragments suspended above, which were maintaining the balance! Especially the golden core fragment of the life plate, which was struggling to harmonize everything!

"Roar—!!!"

A terrifying, non-human, non-beast roar, mixed with endless malice, madness, and greed, suddenly erupted from the deep dark void below! It was as if some world-destroying fiend, sealed for billions of years, had smelled the aura of the life plate fragments, fully awakened, and launched a total assault!

The entire Guicang ancestral vein space was instantly filled with the bloody light of filth and suffocating malevolence! The guardian Profound Yellow light retreated steadily!

The three life plate fragments trembled violently under the tearing of the filthy tentacles, their light flickering erratically. The fragile balance they arduously maintained was on the verge of being completely broken!

"No! 'That thing' under the Burial Abyss has completely awakened! It's trying to seize the life plate fragments!" Zhang Yan's face changed dramatically, displaying unprecedented solemnity! He rapidly formed hand seals, and immense Profound Yellow divine power surged out, transforming into gigantic talisman chains, attempting to bind the filthy tentacles!

"Chen Feng! Su Wanzhao!" Zhang Yan roared, his voice filled with determination, "The life plate fragments must not fall into the hands of the filth! Otherwise, Guicang Mountain will collapse, and all realms will suffer catastrophe! With your Dao, help me... suppress the Abyss!"