581: Chapter 581 Jade Talisman Opens the Gate - Immortal Shadow Crosses Soul

The doors slid open slowly to both sides, and a figure stepped out from the light, standing above the Void Realm. His robes fluttered as if he were an immortal exiled from the heavens.

"Oh my, Zhanchi, that child—why did he crush the Jade Talisman so hastily? There was only one chance, after all... Well, never mind. Since it has been lit, there is no harm in taking a look. Who are you people?" As Jiang Chen stepped out of the light gate, his gaze swept over them, seeing everyone standing before him, but Zhanchi was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you the 'Big Brother' that Zhanchi mentioned? Can you save my grandfather?" Chen Yue rushed forward, her voice clear and carrying an undeniable urgency.

Jiang Chen lowered his eyes to look at her, then glanced toward Teacher Xiang Li, who was quietly shimmering and gradually fading into nothingness. He suddenly chuckled: "Heh, he really gave you the Jade Talisman? The words I speak are never false—your grandfather is indeed him. This matter is effortless for me, but for you, it is worth more than gold."

Before he finished speaking, his robe sleeves fluttered lightly, and he raised his palm upward. In an instant, ten thousand silver rays poured down from the firmament like a waterfall, silent yet soul-shaking.

"Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Human Path is the Heavenly Dao. By my decree—open! Open! Open!"

A giant wheel appeared out of thin air, its outline ancient, with patterns flowing across it. Although it was a phantom image, it pressed down heavily on people's hearts. Jiang Chen gazed at the spiritual light faintly pulsing in the center of the wheel, his brows relaxing slightly: The little girl inside had already begun to show signs of life; she was not far from returning to the mortal world. He sighed softly, flicking his fingertips, and a wisp of faint light burst forth. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he drew upon the vast power from the depths of the star-filled sky, closing his five fingers as if grasping the entire night sky.

"Return the soul to its place, Gate of Time and Space—open!"

A silver-white fissure tore open in response, connected to the Six Paths of Reincarnation wheel far away. Jiang Chen reached into it, grasping, lifting, and slowly withdrawing. When he opened his palm, it held a warm, pulsing halo of light. He nodded slightly and let out a breath—the ancient sea of stars was far away, so he had to guide it personally; if this were on the Great Wilderness, why would it be so troublesome? With a single command, heaven and earth would respond. It was merely a difference in realms.

The crowd held their breath. Chen Yue gripped her clothes, even her breathing becoming light. They watched as Jiang Chen waved his hand, and the ball of light flowed into Teacher Xiang Li like a stream into a valley. In an instant, the scattering light particles on his body froze, and then, like spring ice melting or new buds breaking through the soil, his skin, flesh, and bones were restored layer by layer. Even the meridians eroded by Zero Power regained their vitality, as if time had reversed and he had returned to his prime.

Jiang Chen watched quietly for a moment, nodded, and then waved his hand to retract the Gate of Time and Space. He turned to look at the slowly fading Six Paths of Reincarnation wheel, his voice extremely soft, yet every word was like wind brushing against an ancient bell: "Wait with peace of mind; it will not be too long. The day of reunion is already on the way. Go now—we shall meet again soon."

The wheel trembled slightly, as if responding, and then the radiance faded away, vanishing into nothingness, leaving not even a trace of its presence.

"Alright, your grandfather has awakened. I wish you peace and smoothness in the future—hahaha! By the way, that brat Zhanchi... I clearly warned him to 'use the Jade Talisman with caution.' Sigh, forget it. Since things have come to this, let us see how he walks this path from now on." Jiang Chen looked around, still not seeing Zhanchi, so he said no more and stepped forward to leave.

"Big Brother! Zhanchi was taken by Lord Jiaye and the others!" Chen Yue shouted hurriedly. Now that her grandfather was safe, her heart relaxed, and she immediately revealed what she knew.

The group turned around in a hurry, but they only saw a few figures speeding away on the distant ridge—Lord Jiaye and his group had already escaped cleanly, without any hesitation.

"Oh? So that is how it is..." Jiang Chen's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Very well, this is his destiny, and I cannot force it otherwise. However—Shan Gui Yao has made some progress recently. Not bad, not bad. Did you see it? Is the Innate Eight Trigrams as shallow as what is drawn on paper?"

These words seemed to be said to the crowd, and yet also cast toward some distant place, drifting and hard to discern. Instructor Yi Hengxi's face changed slightly, Yun Dan's breathing stalled, and even the distant Shan Gui Yao felt his heart tighten inexplicably.

"Your Excellency... do you know Shan Gui Yao?" Instructor Yi Hengxi blurted out, his voice extremely tense.

Jiang Chen acted as if he had just let slip a casual remark, waving his hand: "Just a chance encounter, not worth mentioning. The matter is finished, and I should return. I wish you all peace and joy—oops, is that little brat slacking off again? Just wait until I get back and pull his ears!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned into a wisp of green smoke and shot away into the sky, so fast that not even a shadow of his robe remained—clearly afraid that if he stayed for another moment, he would be questioned about everything.

The crowd reached out to stop him, but they only grasped a sleeve of fresh air. The words were stuck in their throats, unable to be swallowed or spat out, leaving their chests feeling stifled.

Except for Instructor Yi Hengxi, Yun Dan also stood stunned in place, her full belly of questions yet to be uttered, and the person was already gone. Want to chase? Could not catch up. Want to ask? Nowhere to ask. Only burning anxiety remained, grinding repeatedly in their throats.

Beyond the distant mountains, Shan Gui Yao suddenly heard a whisper in his ear, his whole body stiffened, and cold sweat broke out. Lord Jiaye urged him to hurry, and he forced himself to remain calm, looking around to see nothing unusual—it turned out that only he had heard it. Recalling the heaven-shaking and earth-shattering scene from just a moment ago, the Qi and blood in his chest surged, and he could barely control himself: Was this the true power of the Innate Eight Trigrams? It was so formidable! If he could comprehend even a corner of it, this life would be enough!

He gritted his teeth and silently clenched his fists—he had to walk this path, and he would definitely walk it to the end.

"Hoo—hoo—"

Teacher Xiang Li lifted his eyelids, and his vision slowly focused. Figures were swaying around him, and he blinked, his heart suddenly sinking: Was he actually still alive?

Having been eroded by ten layers of Zero Power through his bones, it would be a miracle to even keep his name, let alone be alive?

"Grandfather! You're awake? How is your body feeling?" Chen Yue rushed forward, her voice trembling, her hands hovering in mid-air, not daring to touch him.

"Hmm... I'm fine." Teacher Xiang Li sat up a bit, raised his hand to press his chest, and then tapped his knee bones with his fingers. "These bones feel strangely light... It was clear that three meridians were broken and seven types of Qi had dispersed at the time, how could..." He frowned tightly, his fingertips digging into his palms. It was truly painful, but that feeling of exhaustion was gone.

"Try standing up and taking a few steps!" Chen Yue's eyes were bright as stars. "Really, if you don't believe me, see for yourself!"

"Teacher Xiang Li, come, move around—" Instructor Yi Hengxi also leaned in, his voice steady and warm.

Teacher Xiang Li hesitated and pushed off the ground. He lifted his leg, and he didn't even sway; he pushed off again, and he was standing straight. He swung his arms and jumped half a foot in the air, landing without a sound. His Bloodline surged, his meridians relaxed, as if the energy he had when practicing swords on the blue stone steps at twenty had all returned—only the wrinkles on his face had not smoothed out, and his white hair had not turned black.

"Strange... too strange!" He stared at his spread-out hands, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "I am full of energy, as if I have just drunk the snow water from the spring mountains... Chen Yue, tell me quickly, what is going on?"

Chen Yue recounted the whole story from beginning to end. When she finished, even Instructor Yi Hengxi was stunned, his fingertips unconsciously twisting his cuffs, and he didn't speak for a long time.

"Who exactly is this person?" Teacher Xiang Li muttered, "To be able to turn the axis of life and death... No wonder that child Zhanchi has such a tough fate; it turns out someone had already laid the groundwork for him. That Jade Talisman was not a life-saving talisman, but a litmus test—forcing him to grasp his own life, rather than waiting for others to carry it for him."

He had guessed it almost correctly. Chen Yue, however, wilted, her fingers twisting her clothes, her head drooping lower and lower, almost burying itself in her chest.

"Silly child," Teacher Xiang Li reached out and rubbed the top of her head, his palm warm and thick, "If life could really be exchanged, I would rather return it. To use someone else's path to survival to pad my own lifespan? This principle is simpler than teaching students to draw the Eight Trigrams—I do not accept it."

"No! Grandfather—" Chen Yue's throat choked up, and she grabbed his wrist, "I don't want you to leave, not even once!"

"You..." Teacher Xiang Li sighed, his gaze sweeping over Instructor Yi Hengxi and the others, "If I were to covet this sliver of life, every time I closed my eyes in the future, I would see the eyes of others that could not open. No matter how difficult this world is, it is not harder than having a guilty conscience."

Instructor Yi Hengxi stepped back half a step silently, lowering his head without a word. Others also held their breath and composed themselves—how heavy life is, there is no need to explain; just looking at the old man's spine, straighter than a pine needle, was enough to understand.

"Alright, alright, this time will be the exception." That voice suddenly fell from the gaps in the clouds, carrying three parts of laughter, "Who told her to be the person at the heart of that brat Zhanchi? When we meet later, I will have to grab his ears and lecture him—relying on a bit of luck, he treats his life like toilet paper to fold and play with? A person who has died once, still daring to rush about recklessly? The word 'caution' that I taught him back then must have been fed to the dogs."

"By the way, do not worry about the divine pendant. When the time comes, you will naturally understand what it is. Who could have expected that an old object, having endured ten thousand years of cold and heat, would become the key to today? Such is the will of Heaven; it cannot be forced by human power."

Before the voice finished, a shimmering piece of plain silk descended from the sky, as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it seemed to bear the weight of the entire firmament.

"This is the Innate Eight Trigrams diagram, performed by the Heavenly Emperor Fuxi." The voice faded into the distance, its lingering charm like a bell, "In the past, the stars shattered, and the Human Race was scattered; it was truly an accident. Today, I use this diagram to fill the gaps, serving as a little thought for the legacy of the old homeland."

The silk scroll fell into Teacher Xiang Li's palm, and the halo slowly faded. When he unfolded it, the eight groups of trigrams flowed and grew, completely different from the Acquired Eight Trigrams they practiced—Qian in the South, Kun in the North, Li in the East, Kan in the West; the Origin atmosphere of when Yin and Yang had not yet separated was vividly on the paper.

"The mechanism of the universe, the Dao of nature, the source of Yin and Yang..." Teacher Xiang Li's fingertips brushed over the lines, his breathing slightly stalled. Everyone was captivated, and even the wind swirled around the silk. It was he who first rolled up the scroll, smiling at Chen Yue: "See? In that person's eyes, Zhanchi has significant weight. Grandfather has benefited from this; getting this treasure is truly rare."

Chen Yue's ears turned red instantly, her head drooping even lower, her lips pressed into a line, and she could not utter a single word.

"Alright, alright," Teacher Xiang Li patted his clothes and stood up, "Let's return to the camp first; Commander Pozhen must be so anxious he's about to lift the roof."

"Mm, Teacher Xiang Li is right, let's return to Jiugong Ridge now. Since he said with his own mouth that Zhanchi is safe and sound, that child will definitely be able to come back—our hanging hearts should also be let go. Let's go! When we return, we must interrogate him properly: to keep this matter so tightly wrapped that even a shadow could not be touched, it is truly not something an ordinary person can do." Instructor Yi Hengxi's tone carried a bit of contemplation and a bit of inability to hold back a smile. He thought of Zhanchi's usual forgetfulness and straightforward way of speaking; to be able to hide such a big thing without a single leak was truly impressive.

It wasn't just Instructor Yi Hengxi who was puzzled; Chen Yue and the others were also confused. Previously, that person had only mentioned it in passing when handing something to Chen Yue, and no one had taken it to heart. Now, looking back, that understated sentence was actually the key to the whole matter—the source of all doubts lay in this person: Who exactly was he?