Chapter 931: Unraveling the Mystery

"I can't understand why that person wanted to sever my Dao Shen," Ye Chen said, his eyes filled with confusion. Even now, he was still in a state of bewilderment.

"Haven't you manifested another Yi Qi Hua San Qing Dao Shen? Summon it, and we can ask directly," Tai Xu Gu Long said, looking at Ye Chen. "As the one involved, it should know more."

"I can't summon it," Ye Chen replied, shaking his head gently. "Ever since my Yi Qi Hua San Qing Dao Shen was severed, I haven't been able to recreate another one."

"Such a thing is possible," Tai Xu Gu Long said, his brow furrowing once more.

"With my three Dao Shen severed, my Dao Ze was damaged, and all my divine abilities were sealed. At that time, I was in a state of chaos, only kept clear-headed by Liu Ru Yan's qin music. In desperation, I sent Li Xiao to deliver a message to you."

"What a pity we arrived too late," Tai Xu Gu Long sighed. "But you used emotion to mend your Dao, restoring your Dao Ze to perfection. It's a blessing in disguise—your understanding of the Hun Dun Dao is even deeper than before!"

Hearing these words, a flash of sorrow passed through Ye Chen's eyes.

Using emotion to mend his Dao and restore it to perfection had come at the cost of a woman's life. His path was stained with Liu Ru Yan's blood, a cycle of cause and effect that he could never escape, no matter how far he went or how strong he became.

"Don't you want to know what that near-immortal power was?" Seeing Ye Chen lost in thought, Tai Xu Gu Long quickly changed the subject.

"That's exactly what I was about to ask," Ye Chen said, pulling his thoughts back and staring straight at Tai Xu Gu Long. "What kind of power was that?"

"It's Xue Ji Xian Jie," Tai Xu Gu Long explained slowly. "It's a state where the bloodline reaches near-sublimation, the ultimate realm of bloodlines. Once activated, it's nearly indestructible."

"Xue Ji Xian Jie," Ye Chen murmured, the name unfamiliar to him.

"What shocks me is that you, with the origin of Huang Gu Sheng Ti but without its divine treasury, actually activated the Xue Ji Xian Jie of Huang Gu Sheng Ti. This is an unprecedented case since the dawn of heaven and earth."

"But after that battle, I haven't been able to activate that state again," Ye Chen said, looking at Tai Xu Gu Long in confusion. "Why is that?"

"The mysteries of Xue Ji Xian Jie are profound. Being able to activate it once doesn't mean you can do it a second time," Tai Xu Gu Long explained. "It depends on opportunity, but once it's opened, it becomes an overwhelmingly dominant force."

"Can any bloodline potentially activate Xue Ji Xian Jie?" Ye Chen asked humbly, knowing that the powerful Hong Chen was also in a Xue Ji Xian Jie state.

"Any bloodline has the potential to activate Xue Ji Xian Jie," Tai Xu Gu Long replied. "This includes ordinary bloodlines, though it's much harder for them compared to special bloodlines. The strength of Xue Ji Xian Jie varies by bloodline. In the Hong Huang era, those who activated it were the most numerous—that was an age of chaos across the heavens. Any bloodline from that era that has survived to today is surely a legend."

"If a Zhun Di activates Xue Ji Xian Jie, could they slay a Da Di?" Ye Chen asked curiously, looking at Tai Xu Gu Long.

"That depends on who activates it," Tai Xu Gu Long said thoughtfully. "If it's the strongest Huang Gu Sheng Ti from the holy body lineage, like Di Huang, activating it, they'd have an eighty percent chance of slaying a Da Di. But for others, it's not so certain. Da Di are beings that shake the ancients and illuminate the present—they're far more complex than you imagine. A fully developed Huang Gu Sheng Ti can rival a Da Di, but that doesn't mean they can always destroy one. Rivalry and destruction are two different concepts. You'll only truly understand the terror of a Da Di when you reach that peak."

"I'll think about that after I break through to Tian Jing," Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath.

"Speaking of Tian Jing, have you seen the heavenly gate for breaking through to it?"

"I have," Ye Chen replied, nodding lightly.

"How many gates did you see?" Tai Xu Gu Long asked, clearly interested.

"Two."

"Most at the peak of Zhun Tian Jing can only see one gate, meaning they just need to cross it to reach Tian Jing," Tai Xu Gu Long said thoughtfully, still watching Ye Chen with interest. "Do you know why you need to cross two gates to advance to Tian Jing?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask," Ye Chen said, looking at Tai Xu Gu Long in confusion.

"It's because you're a Huang Gu Sheng Ti," Tai Xu Gu Long explained, finding a comfortable spot to sit. "As the only bloodline among many that can rival Da Di, Huang Gu Sheng Ti naturally differs from others. Just as a Zhun Di advancing to Da Di requires crossing two gates, a Huang Gu Sheng Ti from Zhun Di peak to Da Di must do the same. Crossing the first gate leads to Zhun Di perfection, or the full development of the holy body. After that, crossing the second gate reaches Da Di. In essence, Huang Gu Sheng Ti has an extra gate at the peak bottleneck compared to other bloodlines, and that might be what gives them the power to rival Da Di."

"That doesn't seem right," Ye Chen frowned. "I think I heard you say something about a fully developed Hun Dun Ti. Taking full development as an example, Huang Gu Sheng Ti needs Zhun Di perfection to be fully developed, so what about Hun Dun Ti? Is it fully developed at Zhun Di peak?"

"A Hun Dun Ti also reaches full development at Zhun Di perfection," Tai Xu Gu Long explained. "The difference is that a Hun Dun Ti only has one gate between Zhun Di peak and Da Di, while a Huang Gu Sheng Ti has two. Does that make sense?"

"But that's for Zhun Di peak to Da Di—I'm only at Zhun Tian peak right now, and advancing to Tian Jing also requires two gates?"

"Is that so hard to understand?" Tai Xu Gu Long asked, pulling out a wine flask and taking a sip before continuing. "Da Chu has a mysterious force suppressing cultivators' cultivation. In this era of Da Chu, the highest realm is Tian Jing, while across the myriad realms of the heavens, it's Da Di. Da Chu has its own cycle of reincarnation, so Tian Jing here is equivalent to Da Di in the myriad realms. Therefore, your advancement from Zhun Tian peak to Tian Jing in Da Chu is like advancing from Zhun Di peak to Da Di in the myriad realms. Since Tian Jing is the highest realm here, it naturally requires an extra gate."

"Does that mean if I went to the myriad realms right now, I'd be at Zhun Di peak?"

"What are you thinking?" Tai Xu Gu Long glanced at Ye Chen. "I said it's relative. If you went to the myriad realms, you'd still be at Zhun Tian peak. Of course, since Da Di is the highest realm there, advancing to Tian Jing would only require crossing one gate."

"I get it," Ye Chen said, as if suddenly enlightened. "That extra gate for me is relative to the highest realm. If Da Chu's highest realm were Kong Ming Jing, I'd have an extra gate at Ling Xu Jing peak. If it were Ling Xu Jing, I'd have one at Zhen Yang Jing peak. Is that the right way to understand it?"

"Finally, we've got it straight," Tai Xu Gu Long said, wiping away some sweat and tossing his wine flask aside. He then stepped toward the door, ready to leave.

"Long Ye, what is Tian Mo Chong Qi Sha?" Ye Chen asked hurriedly.

At those words, Tai Xu Gu Long turned around abruptly, his dragon eyes bursting with dazzling light as he stared intently at Ye Chen.

"Where did you hear about Tian Mo Chong Qi Sha?"