23: Chapter 23 Enlightenment of the Heavenly Heart

This scene did not resemble a Great Emperor presiding over court, but rather a traveler returning home after achieving success, reuniting with loved ones.

Warmth permeated the air, and laughter filled every corner of the Dao Seeking Sect.

This was the starting point of his cultivation and the resting place for his soul.

The Sect had provided him protection in his youth, fertile soil for his growth, and the warmth of a home.

In return, he gave the Sect peerless glory and a foundation for ten thousand generations. They fulfilled each other, their Bloodlines intertwined.

After reminiscing for a long while, Jiang Hao, along with the Sect Master and several core Elders, arrived at the Forbidden Ground in the back mountains, the site of the Dao Seeking Sect's original Ancestral Hall. It was heavily guarded by Formations and was the most quiet and secluded place.

The interior of the hall was simple and ancient, with Calming Incense burning.

Jiang Hao's expression returned to calm as he spoke.

"Next, I will enter secluded meditation. I'll be counting on you all for the Sect."

The Sect Master and the Elders turned solemn and immediately nodded. The Sect Master said in a deep voice,

"Rest assured, Great Emperor. We will handle everything in the Sect. Who in the heavens does not know of your prestige now? No one dares to come to Ziwei, let alone disturb the peace of the Dao Seeking Sect. You may focus on your meditation with peace of mind; we wouldn't dare let external Sect matters trouble you."

An Elder in charge of resources added,

"The Sect treasury has already prepared all the divine materials and great medicines that might be needed according to the list you left behind. They are all top-grade items offered by various parties over the years and can be sent to the meditation site at any time."

Another Elder responsible for defense said,

"The meditation site has been rearranged to the highest specifications, gathering the ancestral Qi of the Ziwei Ancient Star's dragon pulse. It even has the remaining Dao rhythms of the two ancient Emperors, Taiyin and Taiyang, for you to reference. It is absolutely safe and private."

Seeing their thoughtful consideration and full commitment, Jiang Hao felt a warmth in his heart and nodded.

"Very well. The duration of this meditation is uncertain. If there are major changes in the outside world or if you encounter matters you cannot decide upon, you may burn this Talisman."

With a flick of his finger, he shot out a Talisman condensed from Chaos Qi, which landed in the Sect Master's hand.

"I leave the Sect to you."

"We shall not fail the Great Emperor's trust!"

Everyone responded in unison, their gazes resolute.

They knew that the Great Emperor's secluded meditation was to prepare himself in his peak state for potentially greater storms in the future.

What they could do was guard this foundation so the Great Emperor would have no worries about the future.

Jiang Hao nodded at their words, feeling very fortunate.

Yes, fortunate.

Having transmigrated here, even with Heaven-Defying Aptitude like the Chaos Body, he might not have successfully grown to this point if he had fallen into a sinister environment of internal strife and the Law of the jungle.

It was the atmosphere of the Dao Seeking Sect—weak yet pure and united like a family—that allowed him to grow smoothly.

It also made him willing to give back and protect it without hesitation once he possessed power.

There were no earth-shattering secret treasures or legacies here, but it gave him the most precious peace and sense of belonging.

The love of his parents, Elder Zhang's grandfatherly affection, the care from the Sect Master and teachers, the friendliness among fellow disciples...

These bits and pieces converged into the most solid foundation deep within his Dao Heart, ensuring that throughout his battles in the vast and cold Universe, he always knew why he fought and what he had behind him to protect.

Having finished his instructions, Jiang Hao spoke no more. His figure slowly faded as he headed into the depths of the Sect.

Deep within the Dao Seeking Sect, at the convergence of the Ziwei Ancient Star's dragon pulse ancestral nodes, Chaos Qi swirled, and ten thousand Dao runes manifested naturally, turning this place into a Dao realm independent of the world.

Jiang Hao sat cross-legged at the eye of the Formation in the Void Realm. Behind him, the phenomena of Taiyin moonlight and Solar Sacred Power faintly complemented each other; these were the remaining Dao rhythms of the two Human Emperors deep within the Ancient Star responding to him, the New Emperor.

He formally entered a deep state of secluded meditation.

With a calm mind, the first priority of his meditation was to wholeheartedly perceive and fuse with that unique heavenly heart imprint.

Jiang Hao's mind slowly sank into a mysterious realm, his consciousness seemingly detaching from his physical shell and ascending to an unprecedented level.

Here, the ten thousand Daos of the Universe were no longer illusory; they manifested as brilliant, crystalline chains of order that pierced through the past, present, and future, intertwining to form the fundamental Dao network that supported all operations.

"So this is the skeleton of the Great Dao..."

He thought to himself.

At the core of this magnificent network was a ball of light that was difficult to describe in words.

It seemed to encompass all colors and forms, yet also seemed to transcend all manifestations, like the heart of the Universe and the source of the Dao.

This was the manifestation of the heavenly heart imprint, the symbol of the supreme authority in this world.

Using his own profound Chaos Great Dao as a guide, Jiang Hao cautiously extended his Divine Sense toward that ball of light.

At the moment of contact, the Heaven-Defying nature of the Chaos Body was fully revealed.

His Dao produced a natural, seamless affinity with this network of ten thousand Daos, as if a traveler had finally returned home or a drop of water had merged into the ocean, smoother than he could have imagined.

This was why the Chaos Body was known as the body closest to the Immortals.

In such deep Dao enlightenment, time lost its meaning of measurement.

Perhaps only a moment had passed, or perhaps it had been a hundred years.

His consciousness wandered through the vast ocean of Dao principles, witnessing the Laws followed behind the birth and death of stars, personally experiencing the Profound Truths contained within the Reincarnation of life, and meticulously analyzing the warp and weft of space-time transformations.

"So that's how it is..."

Every profound insight made his Chaos Great Dao more harmonious and integrated, and his control over every bit of his power reached a microscopic level.

The heavenly heart imprint was not a dead thing; it seemed to possess a spirit. In its Fusion with this unprecedented Chaos Body Emperor, it provided feedback on the most fundamental secrets of the Universe.

The Dao injuries he had sustained from successive life-and-death battles and the terrifying celestial tribulations were being slowly but steadily repaired under the dual nourishment of the essence of the ten thousand Daos and the Chaos Origin.

Furthermore, because of this process of destruction and reconstruction, his body and Primordial Spirit were branded with even more resilient and immortal dao patterns.

Once the initial Fusion with the heavenly heart imprint stabilized, Jiang Hao's mind slightly descended from that lofty Dao realm.

He began the second crucial task: organizing everything he had learned in his life, perfecting his own Dao, and creating a supreme Imperial Scripture that belonged solely to him.

With a slight thought, various ancient scripture Profound Truths—some complete, some fragmented—lit up one after another in his sea of consciousness like stars.

The most eye-catching among them were the fragments of the "Taiyin Ancient Scripture" and the "Solar Ancient Scripture."

These two supreme scriptures of the Human Race Emperors were not obtained by force.

Rather, they were obtained by chance. These two ancient scriptures respectively represented the extremes of the Yin and Yang poles and were incredibly profound.

"Taiyin or Taiyang, which is weaker or stronger? When Yin and Yang assist each other, one reigns supreme under heaven."

Jiang Hao silently recited this sentence that had been passed down for ages, his heart clear.

These few words expressed the ambitions and regrets of countless Cultivators.

Rumor had it that if a Taiyin Body and a Taiyang Body united, their offspring had a slim chance of being born with a Chaos Body.

Although unconfirmed, it pointed in a direction: if one could truly harmonize Yin and Yang and fuse the two poles, they might be able to glimpse the Gate of Chaos.

Therefore, throughout history, there had been no shortage of brilliant talents who attempted to cultivate both Taiyin and Taiyang simultaneously, intending to transform into an Acquired Chaos Body.

However, the results were almost without exception: either their Dao Heart went mad and they fell into a demonic state, or the Yin and Yang conflict within their bodies spiraled out of control, eventually leading to their bodies exploding and their souls being extinguished.

The price was so heavy that successors were deterred; those who dared to try were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.