267: Chapter 268 The Nine Secrets Unite to Display Sacred Power, One Thought Reaches Heaven and Controls the Dao.

Next was the third character—"She"!

This character was even more abstract than "Mountain" and "River."

It seemed to represent a kind of order, a kind of structure, a kind of... power formed by the gathering of humanity.

She is the god of the soil.

By extension, it refers to sacrificial lands, states, and society.

Lu Chen's consciousness reached in, but he didn't feel any specific pressure or impact.

Instead, it was as if he saw a series of blurred scenes.

Early ancestors forming societies and offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.

City walls being established, and the hearts of the people returning as one.

Dynasties changing, and the Legacy of the Sheji being passed down.

This was a rule, an order, a power that condensed scattered individuals into a powerful whole!

Understanding this character required more than just power; it required wisdom and an understanding of civilization and order.

Having established such a vast foundation, Lu Chen was not entirely ignorant of this.

His Thought Black Box began analyzing it from another angle.

Rules! Order! Union!

This was a method to amplify power!

Many grains of sand make a pagoda; many furs make a robe!

As the Concept of She was understood by him,

Lu Chen felt his Mental Energy resonate faintly with this world and with some unseen rule.

He seemed able to feel the stray energy between Heaven and Earth more clearly and could mobilize it more easily.

This was a higher level of control!

Sixth Dao Rhyme—Order of She, realized!

Finally, it was the fourth character—"Ji"!

Ji is the chief of the five grains.

It represents grain, survival, and reproduction.

Sheji, Sheji—only with She and Ji can a nation be established.

This character was filled with the breath of life.

Lu Chen's consciousness reached in and felt a warm, peaceful power full of vitality.

Like spring returning to the earth and all things awakening.

Like a seed breaking through the soil and growing sturdily.

Like an abundant harvest of the five grains nourishing all living beings.

This was the Origin of life force, the driving force of endless reproduction!

Understanding this character required reverence and realization of life.

Lu Chen thought of the Nine Yang Divine Skill he cultivated and the powerful self-healing ability of the Ziwei True Essence.

These powers shared a similar excellence with the Concept of Ji.

Comprehending it was actually smoother than the character "She."

As the last trace of the Concept of Ji merged into his Divine Soul,

Lu Chen felt his life force receive unprecedented nourishment.

The recovery speed of his Ziwei True Essence seemed to have increased by another level.

His entire being was filled with abundant vitality, as if he had become one with the pulse of life in this world.

Seventh Dao Rhyme—Vitality of Ji, realized!

At this point, the three characters of "Kirin Cliff" and the four characters of "Mountain, River, She, and Ji," totaling seven Dao Rhymes, had all been comprehended and absorbed by Lu Chen!

Huuu—

Lu Chen exhaled a long breath.

This breath condensed in the air, turning into a purple-gold lotus; upon the lotus, mountains and rivers faintly appeared, and a Qilin roared, incredibly mysterious.

The lotus circled three times before slowly dissipating.

The seven powerful Dao Rhymes were like seven brilliant stars, shining brightly deep within his Divine Soul.

Each one represented a power of the world's Origin!

If an ordinary Cultivator obtained just one, it would be enough to found a sect and rule over a region.

Yet Lu Chen possessed all seven!

But it wasn't over yet!

With a thought from Lu Chen,

two powers he had long mastered and integrated into his very marrow also emerged.

One was the Myriad 腡 Treasure Codex, which he had deduced and sublimated from countless martial arts to increase the power of any Cultivation Technique or Move a hundredfold!

This was the power of "Increase"!

The other was the Spiral Nine Shadows he had learned from the Nine Yin Manual, which allowed him to strike with nine layers of attacks instantly!

This was the power of "Multi-strike"!

Seven Dao Rhymes of the world's Origin!

One hundredfold power increase!

One ninefold variation multi-strike!

A total of nine top-tier BUFFs that were completely different yet could be stacked with each other!

Nine! The ultimate of numbers.

In Daoism, there is also the saying of the Nine-Syllable Mantra.

"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing..."

Lu Chen softly chanted these nine syllables.

Each syllable seemed to contain immense power.

A thought emerged in his mind.

These nine powers...

Could they correspond one-to-one with the Daoist Nine-Syllable Mantra?

Could he fuse them into a brand-new ultimate finishing Move that belonged solely to him?

Or rather, an ultimate state?

The Thought Black Box began to operate frantically once more.

The seven Origin Dao Rhymes and the two core technique effects—a total of nine powers—began to be matched, fused, and deduced with the Nine-Syllable Mantra!

This process was more complex and mentally taxing than simply comprehending the Dao Rhymes.

Time became blurred once again.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the ground, solemn and dignified.

Around him, purple Qi rose at times, and golden light flowed at others.

Sometimes he was as steady as a mountain, and sometimes as fluid as water.

Sometimes his Killing Intent was chilling, and sometimes he was benevolent and peaceful.

Under the harmony of his will, the seven Origin Dao Rhymes and the two core technique effects, like nine Dragons of different attributes, began to attempt to arrange, combine, and resonate according to the order of the Nine-Syllable Mantra!

"Lin!" Increase.

Lu Chen silently recited the first syllable.

The hundredfold increase power of the Myriad 腡 Treasure Codex was instantly mobilized!

Without a doubt, this came from the many schools passed down by the Shangqing Saint, who taught all without discrimination, though they were finally merged into one by Lu Chen.

Buzz!

An invisible ripple spread out, as if the entire space became unstable due to this power.

This was the preparation stage, the Aura elevation before facing any powerful enemy! Overpowering the foe with magnificent power!

"Bing!" Severance.

The second syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of the Cliff, representing "severance and isolation," emerged! This was the great power from Kirin Cliff that suppressed all things, and it certainly has Origins with the Yuqing Saint.

Lu Chen pressed his fingers together like a blade and lightly slashed at the void.

Chiii!

An invisible crack flashed and vanished in the air.

It was as if even space had been sliced open by this finger!

This was the power of weaponry, an indestructible sharpness, and a barrier that isolated all things!

"Dou!" Multi-strike.

The third syllable!

The Profound Truth of the Spiral Nine Shadows was activated!

Lu Chen's figure instantly became blurred, as if nine of him appeared simultaneously, striking with nine different fist seals from nine different angles!

Although they were just phantoms, that stacked explosion of continuous Battle Intent was incredibly real!

This was the method of combat, a myriad of changing offensives, and the determination to become stronger when facing strength!

"Zhe!" Suppression.

The fourth syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of Qi, representing "protection and suppression," flowed!

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed, and an invisible pressure spread out.

It was as if an ancient Divine Beast had awakened; wherever his gaze fell, all things submitted!

It could both protect his own side and suppress powerful enemies!

This was control over "existence" itself! The majesty of a protector and the dominance of a suppressor!

"Jie!" Integration.

The fifth syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of the Order of She permeated! This was the Legacy from the Taiqing Saint of the Ren Sect; whether it was the nine tripods that shared the same Origin as the Sea-Fixing Divine Needle, or that small mountains and rivers social map, all bore the shadow of the Taiqing Saint and had given Lu Chen countless opportunities.

Lu Chen felt his Mental Energy connect with the surrounding Origin Qi of Heaven and Earth with unprecedented efficiency.

It was as if with a single command, he could mobilize all the power in this area for his own use!

This was the power of union, the majesty of order, and the control that integrated all phenomena to be used by him!

"Zhen!" Stability.

The sixth syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of the Stability of the Mountain was applied!

Lu Chen's body shook slightly, and his entire being seemed to be enveloped in a layer of incredibly heavy invisible armor.

His Aura was as solid as a mountain, indestructible!

This was the foundation of defense, the basis of stability, a position that stood firm and motionless regardless of wind or rain!

"Lie!" Fluidity.

The seventh syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of the Flow of the River operated!

Lu Chen's figure once again became elusive, yet it secretly followed some mysterious trajectory.

It was as if he had transformed into a ceaselessly flowing great river, swift, agile, and infinitely variable!

This was the variation of Formations, the momentum of flow, and the tactic of flexible adaptation and myriad arrangements!

"Qian!" Barrier-Breaking.

The eighth syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of Lin, representing "benevolence and auspiciousness," radiated!

A gentle yet inviolable Aura enveloped Lu Chen's body.

It was as if an invisible power was protecting him, pursuing good fortune and avoiding disaster, making him successful in all endeavors!

This was the light of progress, an auspicious omen, the conviction that the benevolent are invincible and can break through all obstacles!

"Xing!" Vitality.

The ninth syllable!

The Dao Rhyme of the Vitality of Ji erupted!

Lu Chen felt his body filled with endless power, like a perpetual motion machine that could support him in never-ending combat!

His life force, recovery, and endurance all reached a terrifying Peak!

This was the source of action, the power of vitality, the fundamental truth that life is endless and combat never stops!

Lin! Bing! Dou! Zhe! Jie! Zhen! Lie! Qian! Xing!

Nine syllables, nine powers!

Perfectly matched!

Boom!!!

At the moment when the nine powers were completely fused into one according to the order of the Nine-Syllable Mantra,

a ripple of power far exceeding any previous one erupted from within Lu Chen's body!

A purple-gold pillar of light shot into the sky.

Within the pillar of light, a Qilin roared, mountains and rivers shifted, the state rose and fell, divine weapons cut through the void, Battle Intent boiled, and all phenomena returned to one!

Various phenomena emerged, eventually turning into nine ancient, mysterious, and incredibly complex runes that slowly rotated around Lu Chen.

In the Nine-Syllable Mantra, except for the Lin Seal, which increases combat power a hundredfold, and the Dou Seal, which increases it ninefold, any of the others could increase combat power tenfold.

Such stacked combat power was far too terrifying.

If it weren't for Lu Chen's hundredfold effect of Ziwei True Essence protecting his body, combined with the Ten-Thousand-Fold Increase repair effect of the Heaven-Swallowing Holy Body,

he would have suffered a Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering the moment he forcibly comprehended the first Dao Rhyme.

A Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator forcibly comprehending the Dao of the Saint was truly like an ant lifting a tripod.

Fortunately, the dust settled, and it appeared that with the support of this Nine-Syllable Mantra, even a single Move of Wudang Long Fist from Lu Chen would have the power to destroy mountains, let alone those ultimate Moves.

This was the power of the Dao Rhymes from the three great ancient Saints!

One could be fearless.

This was merely the power of the Legacy they left in the mortal world; Lu Chen yearned for the true Saintly Might in his heart.