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"The Crown Prince of Nanyin?"

The small golden figure, Cai Shen, materialized on Qi Yun’s shoulder. His chubby little face was full of astonishment, his small eyes wide and round.

"You saw him? On Spirit Mountain?

In that pile of bald-headed Arhats from just now?"

A gray, hazy current where purity and turbidity had yet to separate flowed like an eternal river, enacting the most primitive cycle of creation and destruction between Earth Fire, wind, and water.

A seemingly ordinary slab of bluestone floated incongruously in the center of this chaos. Qi Yun’s true form sat cross-legged upon it, his Deep Blue Daoist Robe blending almost perfectly with the surrounding chaos.

"Mm."

Qi Yun replied slowly, his voice sounding vast and clear in the boundless chaos.

"He was concealed extremely well. His aura blended almost perfectly with the Buddha’s Rhyme of the surrounding Buddhist Cultivator Arhats.

If we both didn’t possess Venerable Dao Foundations, which create a faint, indescribable pull between us... I’m afraid even I would have had trouble picking him out of the crowd instantly.

He only glanced at me from a distance, and his gaze met mine for but a moment before he looked away.

But the meaning was clear... he recognized me, too."

Hearing this, Cai Shen’s small face grew solemn. He folded his arms and paced a few steps back and forth on Qi Yun’s shoulder, his chubby little legs swinging as he began his analysis:

"Venerable Dao Foundations are anomalies of the Great Dao. It’s only natural that your auras would be entangled and that you would sense each other on some unseen level.

But... the Nanyin Dynasty has long since been turned into an Earthly Buddha Country, and his father, the Emperor, even gave up the throne to join a monastery.

For this former Crown Prince to now be mixing in with Buddhist Cultivator Arhats...

Could it be that, just like his father, he has completely thrown in his lot with the Buddhist Cultivators, hoping to carve out a new ’future’ for himself in this Buddha Country?"

Qi Yun’s eyelids lowered slightly, his voice calm and ripple-free:

"Unlikely, based on what I saw during our brief encounter.

He is a man of great ambition and strategy, hardly the type to be subservient or devoutly faithful.

He bears the weight of an empire, harbors ambitions to conquer the world, and possesses a Dao Heart and will of rarely matched fortitude.

Even if circumstances force such a person to bend the knee for a time, his heart could never truly submit to a place at Buddha’s side, chanting sutras and living out the rest of his days."

He paused, his tone growing more certain:

"His hiding here can only mean one thing: like me, he is lying in wait.

As for what he’s after... that remains to be seen."

Cai Shen stopped pacing and tilted his head. His small eyes, glinting with a shrewd and knowing light, stared at Qi Yun’s impassive profile.

"Heh heh, with your personality, you little Demon—plucking a feather from every passing goose, exploiting every crack—you wouldn’t be this interested in a fallen Crown Prince for no reason, nor would your analysis be so on point.

What, got an idea?"

Hearing this, the corner of Qi Yun’s mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm up.

With a mere Heart Thought, a single point of light—flawlessly white, as if it had gathered all the purest light in the world—appeared in his palm.

It immediately unfurled, transforming into a lifelike, slowly spinning, pure white lotus.

Each petal of the lotus was crystalline. Within, what looked like countless, dust-fine, pale gold Sanskrit characters flowed like living things—forming, dissolving, and being reborn—all while emitting the pure, rich essence of the Great Brightness Buddhism.

This was the external manifestation of the accumulated Dao Rhyme and advanced Magic Intent, all thanks to the Great Brightness Shizhi Dharma Body’s continuous Refinement of Buddhist Cultivator Arhat Relics.

"You know me best, Senior."

Qi Yun’s gaze fell upon the Bright Lotus in his palm. His voice was still calm, but it now carried a hint of deeper meaning.

"Lately, the Great Brightness Shizhi Dharma Body has been making steady progress by refining those Buddhist Cultivation Relics. Although I’m still far from ’Seeking Gold,’ it has led me to some new realizations."

Cai Shen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Tell me more.

Don’t tell me you’ve gotten addicted to Refining Monks and think this path is faster than finding a Fruit Position?"

Qi Yun gently shook his head. The lotus in his palm retracted its glow and transformed into a Flowing Light that disappeared into his body.

"I was previously looking for Spiritual Objects compatible with the Daluo Ten Thousand Laws Dao Foundation, hoping to perform Refinement on them to enhance my Dao Foundation’s power, but I never found anything."

His tone grew heavier, laced with a calm as he meticulously unraveled his thoughts:

"Thinking about it now, perhaps my initial approach was wrong.

The reason a Venerable Dao Foundation is ’Venerable’ is because its essence is Supreme and vast, unique and utterly different from all other things.

How could even the most miraculous Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects give rise to a Spiritual Object that could match it?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Cai Shen’s small face.

"That makes sense.

A Venerable Dao Foundation is an anomaly of the Great Dao that goes against the heavens. It can’t be defined by ordinary methods.

So, what you’re saying is..."

Qi Yun’s gaze suddenly turned profound.

"Besides its unique and inimitable inner essence...

The Venerable Dao Foundation has another, most obvious characteristic that has been right in front of us all along..."

He paused slightly, articulating each word with clarity:

"And that is—

The word ’Venerable’ itself."

"Venerable..." Cai Shen repeated subconsciously, his chubby little hand stroking his non-existent chin. The light in his eyes flickered rapidly as if he were grasping something.

Then, he abruptly looked up, his small eyes bursting with an incredulous, astonished light as he stared fixedly at Qi Yun.

"Don’t tell me... you want to..."

Qi Yun met his shocked gaze and nodded slowly. His tone was as calm as if he were stating a trivial fact, yet it contained a world-shattering resolve.

"Since external objects are incompatible and Heaven and Earth offer no match... then I, Qi, will source my materials locally and forge my own path!"

The moment his words fell, the entire Daluo Heaven seemed to tremble slightly.

Countless streams of chaotic energy surged faster, and the illusions manifested by the four fundamental sources—Earth Fire, wind, and water—flickered erratically. It was as if even this newly opened Realm Heaven felt an instinctive tremor at Qi Yun’s insane and terrifying thought.

Cai Shen was speechless for a long moment; even his golden, illusory form seemed to freeze.

After a long while, he managed a difficult swallow of non-existent saliva, his voice graver than ever before and tinged with an undisguised horror:

"You want to... perform Refinement on other Venerables?"

Qi Yun slowly rose to his feet, standing upon the chaotic bluestone. His Deep Blue Daoist Robe billowed without wind, and his entire being naturally exuded an indifference born of commanding Ten Thousand Laws and looking down on all living things, as well as... ambition.

The chaotic energy surged silently, seemingly reflecting this Venerable’s state of mind.

...

Meanwhile, in a Zen Temple area somewhere in the Spirit Mountain Sacred Realm.

A monk in a simple white robe, his face serene, walked with a calm gait through a courtyard, arriving before the door of a seemingly ordinary meditation hut.

His expression was tranquil, no different from the other monks he passed, all of whom walked with their eyes humbly lowered.

But deep within his eyes, which he occasionally lifted, lay a composure far beyond that of an ordinary person, and a hint of imperceptible depth.

He pushed open the unlatched door, entered sideways, and then gently pulled the heavy wooden door shut behind him.

CLICK.

The soft click of the latch falling into place seemed to trigger some invisible switch.

The instant the door was fully closed—

Inside the Zen Room, the hazy daylight filtering through the paper window—carrying the unique scent of sandalwood and the Buddha’s Rhyme of Spirit Mountain—suddenly vanished!

The wooden walls, the simple furnishings, the bluestone floor...

Everything in the room, like rice paper thrown into a Fierce Fire, began to curl at the edges, charring and turning to nothing!

In its place, a boundless, majestic, and awe-inspiring golden radiance surged forth from the void, instantly filling every inch of space!

This golden light was not the gentle, compassionate Buddha Light of the Buddhist Sect, but one that carried a Supreme, imperial majesty.

It was the weighty and domineering presence of one who rules over mountains and rivers, whose Creation provides for all people!

Within the golden light, the phantoms of mountains and rivers rose and fell, the outlines of cities and towns flickered in and out of existence, and the light and shadow of a populace living and working flowed past. More than that, the condensed, majestic providence of an ancient Dynasty roared without a sound!

In the blink of an eye, the humble, ten-foot-square Zen Room had been completely replaced and overlaid by a vast, majestic, and rigidly ordered golden palace!

The Emperor’s Extreme Creation Heaven

The moment he stepped into this golden hall, the plain white monk’s robe on the Crown Prince of Nanyin dissolved silently into motes of pure light, like dewdrops in the sun, vanishing into the majestic golden radiance.

In its place, a ceremonial dragon robe—black with golden patterns—suddenly materialized upon his body!

In the space of a single breath, the low-key, peaceful, white-robed monk who had been mixing among the Arhats was gone.

Standing in the center of this Emperor’s Extreme Creation Heaven, dressed in the black-and-gold dragon robe, was the man with an abyss-like composure, the weight of an empire between his brows, and eyes so deep they could swallow the four corners of the earth—

The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace of Nanyin!

He lifted his gaze slightly, his eyes sweeping over the golden hall manifested entirely from his own will and Dao Foundation.

The hall was magnificent and endless. Coiled Dragon Golden Pillars supported a dome-less void, and the floor, polished like a mirror, reflected the flowing Mountain and River Illusion and the radiance of providence.

The faint scent of agarwood permeated the air, mixing with the omnipresent imperial pressure to create a unique and oppressively solemn atmosphere.

"We respectfully welcome Your Highness—!"

A perfectly synchronized voice, filled with suppressed excitement and absolute reverence, rang out from both sides of the hall.

From the shadows of the Coiled Dragon Golden Pillars, dozens of figures could be seen standing at attention, having appeared at some unknown time.

They were all dressed in the formal attire of Nanyin court officials of various ranks. The civil officials’ robes were embroidered with birds, while the military officers’ armor glinted faintly.

Although they stood within this hall manifested from golden light, the details of their robes were exquisitely clear; they were obviously not illusions.

The faces of these men were mostly firm and steady, but their eyes could not hide the world-weariness that came from enduring drastic changes, nor the deeply hidden fervor. Now, they bowed in unison toward the black-and-gold dragon robe in the center of the hall, performing the most solemn rite of obeisance.

The Crown Prince of Nanyin’s expression did not change; he was long accustomed to this retinue of officials appearing out of thin air. With a steady, unhurried pace, he walked past his subordinates standing at attention on both sides and proceeded toward the highest point of the hall.

There, one would not find a Buddha’s Lotus Platform, but rather a Dragon Throne—carved entirely from a dark golden Divine Wood, inlaid with numerous gems, and emanating an invisible imperial providence!

The Crown Prince of Nanyin walked to the Dragon Throne, turned slowly, flicked his sleeves, and sat.

His movements were natural and fluid, imbued with a royal majesty that was bone-deep and the poise of one long accustomed to a high station.

His calm gaze swept over the officials who remained bowed below. He did not immediately bid them rise, only saying coolly:

"My lords, you may dispense with the ceremony."

His voice echoed in the vast, majestic golden hall, carrying a metallic quality and an unquestionable will.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Only then did the officials straighten up, though they kept their heads slightly bowed to show their respect.

The hall fell silent for a time, with only the flow of golden light and the birth and death of the Mountain and River Illusion.

After a moment, from the ranks of the civil officials, an old man with a gaunt face and three wisps of a long beard, wearing a purple official robe with a crane-adorned mandarin square, stepped forward with a Jade Tablet in hand.

He came to the foot of the imperial dais, bowed deeply again, and broke the silence in the hall with a steady voice that carried an imperceptible trace of gravity:

"This servant, Lin Wenyuan, Advisor to the Secretariat, reports to Your Highness."

The Crown Prince of Nanyin’s gaze fell upon the old official, and he gave a slight nod.

"Speak, Lin Qing."

Lin Wenyuan took a deep breath, raised his eyes, and spoke slowly:

"Your Highness,

"The whereabouts of Your Majesty..."

"We have news."

...

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