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Chapter 253 Unsettled Dao Heart
Within the sacred site of the ancients, a torrent of energy constantly roared through the gloomy sky, chaotic and disordered.

Below him, Chen Luo, a direct descendant of the Chen Clan, was meditating in the bamboo forest between the three mountains, seeking enlightenment and breaking through the barriers to enlightenment.

Since entering the sacred land of the sages until now, autumn has passed and spring has come, and summer is approaching. This disciple of the Chen family has crossed from the Fusion Realm to the Responding Heaven Realm. His aura has become much stronger, and he is completely different from when he first arrived.

This is the mystery of the sacred site of the ancients; the saying that one year's work is equivalent to ten years' worth of effort is not an exaggeration.

However, at this moment, Chen Luo, who was in meditation, suddenly showed a painful expression, and the mysterious light surrounding him suddenly dissipated.

After a long while, Chen Luo opened his eyes. After a series of heavy breaths, he felt a chill in his heart, and his temples under the jade crown were soaked with sweat.

Since entering the holy land and attaining enlightenment, his spiritual practice has progressed rapidly.

Although among the cultivators in Qingyun Tianxia, ​​the young master of Lingjian Mountain was the one who broke through the cultivation realm the fastest.

But among all her direct disciples, Chen Luo is already considered one of the best at his age to have reached this level.

However, as he broke through to the Heavenly Realm, the energy within his body began to surge wildly and could not be calmed. His mind was also filled with chaotic thoughts, like the whispers of demons, constantly disturbing his Dao heart.

This was not a distracting thought in his mind, but rather a manifestation of the will of Heaven.

To be precise, when he resonates with the Heavenly Dao, a large number of cold and gloomy thoughts always arise, a situation that Chen Luo has never encountered before.

It should be understood that the sacred sites of the sages were places where the Way was preached, and the places closest to the heavens. The Way of Heaven seen from these places should be the most transparent and purest of rules, not so mottled.

"Could it be that I fixed it wrong?"

"No, the path I am walking is the same path that my ancestors of the Chen clan have walked before. How could I have made a mistake by taking one step at a time?"

After catching his breath, Chen Luo felt a chilling aura enveloping his body, clinging to his skin like a layer of cold oil, sticky and icy, impossible to shake off. So he looked up and gazed at the sky.

He clearly remembered that when he entered the sacred site of the sages, the sky was consistently clear and bright, and a spring breeze was blowing.

But at this moment, dark clouds hung low, surrounding all sides.

Just a few days ago, a demonic wind arose in the holy land, constantly rushing towards the southeast.

That was the place where the Gate of Mystic Light opened, the place they passed through on their way here.

Chen Luo's mind was in chaos, his Dao heart was fragmented, and he was completely unable to think. He could only get up from the mountain and then climb up to the cliff of the North Mountain among the three mountains.

Chen Xi was sitting cross-legged, wearing a blue and white striped ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair was styled in two buns, and a cinnabar mole was placed between her eyebrows, which complemented her snow-white skin perfectly.

Although this place is not in the center of the holy land, it is still full of mysteries. This personally trained saintess is also trying to break through here, and is still just one step away.

Hearing footsteps beside her, Chen Xi slowly opened her eyes and looked at her younger brother.

"Has your cultivation level stabilized?"

“Sister, I always feel that my Dao heart cannot be at peace, as if it is affected by something.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi's brow furrowed slightly.

In fact, she shared the same feeling as Chen Luo. She also felt that something had changed in this sacred land of the sages. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she always had a feeling of unease, as if her heart was hanging in the air, to the point that her cultivation was stagnant.

Just as the two were talking, a gust of air suddenly rose in the valley.

This airflow carried a heat wave, which surged into the surrounding forests in a flash, causing the green leaves all over the mountain to rustle and rush down the mountainside.

Upon sensing this aura, the siblings were slightly taken aback. Before they could react, an incomparably powerful aura suddenly shot into the sky from the foot of Nanshan Mountain opposite them, like the morning light bursting forth, filling the entire valley with the roar of a tiger and the cry of a dragon.

Snapped--

Subconsciously, Chen Xi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, placed her hands on her knees, while Chen Luo clenched his fists, and the muscles in his back began to gather together.

They both felt an immense pressure coming from the scorching airwaves, rising up the mountain ridge, making it hard for them to breathe.

Upon seeing this, the two couldn't help but exchange a glance.

They naturally knew the source of this energy, as this was the second time it had occurred since they entered the sacred land of the sages.

The first time it happened was shortly after they entered the area. At that time, the valley was filled with the man's moans, which made Chen Xi feel uneasy and confused.

What followed was also a scorching wave of air, as if the red sun were rising from the valley.

However, back then, the two of them only had a vague feeling of tension, but now they are under a lot of pressure and need to take the initiative to find a way to balance it.

The feeling wasn't one of oppression; to be more precise, it was as if a colossal beast, powerful enough to swallow mountains and rivers, was lurking in the valley.

Chen Xi turned to look at her younger brother and noticed his deeply furrowed brows and the surging spiritual energy around him.

My younger brother had already entered the Yingtian Realm some time ago, which is a completely different level. Even so, he still had to actively resist this feeling.

The cultivation path in Qingyun Tianxia has always been fixed; each realm should have a corresponding aura.

But what the man in the mountains brought them over the past six months was something completely beyond their comprehension.

"Is he still a Tongxuan?"

"Still at the Profound Realm, I've never tried to break through." Chen Luo couldn't help but say.

As the two siblings were talking, a figure dressed in white appeared from the valley, and when the two saw the figure, the complexity in their eyes deepened.

Compared to the overwhelming aura that gave people the illusion of a monstrous beast, Ji You, who walked out at this moment, was tall and thin, but looked more like a frail scholar.

Especially when he conceals his aura, there is no sign of anything terrifying about him.

Ji You stood at the foot of Nanshan Mountain, his fist slightly clenched, and a surge of energy began to surge within his body, as if his blood and qi were roaring.

For more than half a year, he has been training his body. After a long period of time, he has passed two hurdles and his physical strength is now far greater than before.

He had always thought that since enlightenment could be cultivated independently of the physical body, then body refinement could also be cultivated independently of realms and continue to advance. Now it seems that he was right.

But the problem is, if the focus of enlightenment cultivation is ascension to heaven in broad daylight, then what is the focus of body refinement cultivation? He doesn't know for the time being.

That tsundere will definitely regret not doing this sooner... *sobs*

He kept putting it off, but now his physical body has become even stronger.

Ji You let out a long sigh, then dissipated the energy. With a slight push of his feet, his fierce figure suddenly darted through the forest and landed on the bank of a small river, drifting downstream.

Downstream from the stream is a clear lake, where he has cultivated his Taoist practice for a long time and has thoroughly explored the area.

When they reached the lakeside, Ji You leaped down and immersed herself in the water.

His body tempering lasted for an extremely long time this time, and his whole body felt sticky. When he jumped into the lake, he immediately felt refreshed.

After washing up, he stepped ashore from the lake, dried his clothes with his spiritual energy, looked up at the sky, and frowned slightly.

Since some time ago, the aura of the sacred land of the sages has seemed to be constantly changing, especially the laws of wind, rain, and the four elements, which seem to be constantly colliding, causing a chilling atmosphere to permeate the space.

Although he had never engaged in any spiritual connection with the divine, he still felt something was off. In his view, this was not normal; rather, something was amiss.

After pondering for a long time, Ji You slowly closed his eyes, and his golden divine sense began to rise into the sky.

He had always been afraid that he would lose control of his cultivation level and be influenced by his obsessions, thus turning to the evil path. However, the strange phenomena of the sacred land of the sages had lasted for so long that he could no longer suppress his curiosity.

As his divine sense surged into the sky, a chilling aura instantly swept over him.

The Heavenly Dao surged and churned, twisted and blurred, while beneath it, an inexplicable aura emanated from the southwest, constantly swaying.

Just then, a series of footsteps approached.

The Chen siblings, Chai Ze from Tianshu Academy, Yan Shujing and Yan Rui from Lingjian Mountain, as well as Jiang Chenfeng from the Daowen Sect and Huo Hong from Shanhai Pavilion, all arrived one after another.

As they approached, they couldn't help but look at Ji You, only to find that he still possessed the aura of the Profound Realm, and their expressions became strange.

Although the sacred sites of the ancients are vast, chance encounters are still quite common.

Several months ago, some people said that Ji You's skill level seemed to have stagnated.

Although only Chen Luo, a direct disciple of the Chen Clan, successfully broke through to the next realm, the auras of the others were also nearing their limits. Only Ji You's realm remained stagnant, unchanged from before, which was puzzling. It should be noted that Ji You was the most prominent figure at the Heavenly Dao Assembly.

When he entered the sacred land of the sages, countless people speculated that he would likely enter Yingtian after his emergence, but unexpectedly, he didn't even manage to merge with the Dao.

However, everyone only watched for a few moments before turning their gaze to the west, or more precisely, the southwest.

The unusual activity at the sacred site of the ancient sages has been going on for a long time. They naturally sensed it as they cultivated their spiritual practice every day.

"What kind of place is that? Why does it have such a strange aura?"

"Don't we have a map?"

"The map is incomplete; it doesn't indicate exactly where the southwest is."

The map provided by the Imperial Observatory was indeed incomplete; only about half of the area was marked.

After pondering for a long time, Chai Ze spoke, "That should be the ancestral homeland of our human race."

"Ancestral land?"

"The ancestral land, which bears the fortune of the human race, was sealed in the sacred land of the sages. It is said that the origin of the Heavenly Dao is here. In previous years, some people even spread the rumor that there was the inheritance of the sages inside."

"I see……"

“This place is inherently fragile. Our location is relatively stable, but it becomes even more vulnerable further southwest. I think that’s why its location isn’t marked on the map.”

The reason why the sacred sites of the sages were sealed off by them is because they were almost broken.

Before the alchemist remedied the damage with his alchemy, some places were even spatially fragmented. Chai Ze said that the southwest direction was even worse, and a slight mistake could result in being decapitated. Even if one managed to escape, one's soul might be shattered by the power of the Heavenly Dao.

Therefore, this area is actually a restricted zone for them.

In the early years, some people did go in, but after the serious consequences occurred, fewer people were willing to do it.

Moreover, the so-called origin of the Heavenly Way and the inheritance of the sages are just rumors that have never been verified, which naturally makes people hesitate.

For example, Chen Luo and Chen Xi had already secured the position of direct disciples, so such a risk was completely unnecessary for them. Others also needed to be cautious and were not interested in such a high-risk matter.

Ji You looked at Chai Ze and said softly, "Since it is the ancestral land of the human race, why has this aura suddenly become so strange?"

Chai Ze glanced at him upon hearing this: "That place is not very stable to begin with, so this disturbance may be normal. I guess it's windy, rainy, and thunderous outside right now."

"?"

"The power of origin is connected to the entire Qingyun world, but it was sealed by the great power of the ancient sages. The laws here are chaotic, and the outside world will also be affected."

"With such a chilling wind blowing, how can it be called a holy place?"

"Yin and Yang are the laws of Heaven. All things in the world are like this, with black and white, light and darkness. Junior brother, you have not yet entered the Dao Integration stage, so perhaps your understanding of this is not yet profound."

Upon hearing this, Ji You's lips twitched slightly.

Damn it, I'm being looked down upon.

Chai Ze's tone was as if a vocational high school student had accidentally wandered into a university student gathering and asked a question that would seem ridiculous to the university students.

After chatting for a while in the grassy area outside the mountains and forests, everyone dispersed and went home.

After all, for them, going out meant either inheriting a sect or being accepted by a family; cultivation remained the top priority.

Many of them are already at the breakthrough stage and will not waste time on trivial matters.

Only Ji You, after pondering for a long time, strode towards the southwest and then began to wander around.

The so-called ancestral land of the human race and the origin of the Heavenly Dao are just vague concepts. Ji You doesn't know exactly where they are located, but he is very curious about the evil thought he sensed with his divine sense.

For several days afterward, even the most gifted individuals who had attained enlightenment in the sacred land of the ancients couldn't help but frequently furrow their brows.

Just as they had sensed before, their minds were filled with more and more distracting thoughts, and their Daoist hearts, let alone clear ones, were even beginning to become somewhat turbid.

Chai Ze was already at a crucial stage in the Yingtian Realm, but after several days of enlightenment, he was filled with resentment and his heart was filled with rage.

Cultivating the Tao requires eliminating the seven emotions and six desires, and greed is one of them.

Before coming in, many people thought they would stay as long as they could, but now they felt uneasy.

Especially for those who are breaking through to a higher realm, they are increasingly feeling that their Dao heart is becoming heavier and heavier.

The first to leave was Yan Shujing, a direct disciple of Xuanjian Peak. Swordsmanship emphasizes clarity, and she knew she could not stay any longer.

Next to leave were the twin disciples of the Chen family. Chen Luo had already broken through to the next realm, and Chen Xi was also crossing the threshold. Staying here would be more harmful than beneficial, so it would no longer be a good choice for them.

Those who remained were mostly people of lower rank than them, who, having seized the opportunity, were unwilling to let go.

But as time went by, they began to feel the strain, especially after discovering that their cultivation was stagnant and their Dao heart was becoming increasingly unfamiliar. They knew it was time to leave.

However, people tend to comfort themselves; even if they are not as good as some, they can always be better than others.

For example, Ji You is the best comfort in their hearts.

Even if they're stuck on the edge of breaking through a realm, they'll eventually break through once they get out, which is much better than coming in and going out being the same.

Before leaving, these people had a conversation.

Since they hadn't seen Ji You for many days, they all assumed that Ji You must have already left. After all, if he couldn't break through to the next realm, it would be useless for him to stay near the Heavenly Dao.

However, what they didn't know was that Ji You was already moving deeper and deeper into the southwest.

From the grassland to the mountains and then back to the grassland, he had now entered a vast wilderness. Towering trees, accompanied by thick fog, seemed to be crowded together, making it impossible for even divine senses to travel very far.

The evil thoughts he had previously sensed had subsided and he could no longer perceive them.

At this moment, Ji You stopped in a lush forest and looked at a blade of grass that had been trampled.

He is now quite certain that someone had been here, though he doesn't know exactly what they did, but the atmosphere of the sacred site of the ancients became strange during that period.

Therefore, that chilling aura must have originated from this.

The reason Ji You was so concerned about this aura was because he sensed a familiar feeling from it, which reminded him of when he was in Qiling.

Many things happened back then: the ascended demons, the missing babies, but with the thunderous roar, it seemed that everything came to an end, and there was no follow-up.

Everything was attributed to the Zheng family. Those who should be held accountable were held accountable, and those who should be given benefits were given benefits. Then nothing else happened.

But actually, there are still many questions left about that matter that cannot be answered clearly, such as where the carriage that left from the back of Qiling went, and then there was no news of it at all.

Ji You has always been sensitive to this matter, which is why she has been following it all the way here.

However, after searching for several days, he found nothing at all.

He had heard people say before that there were the inheritances of sages and some kind of primordial power in the holy land, but no one had ever found it in all these years, which meant that the place was not easy to find.

Ji You remained silent for a moment, then emerged from the dense jungle and couldn't help but glance outside.

The sacred land of the sages still retained a chaotic aura, but after releasing one's divine sense, no living beings could be detected. It seemed that those geniuses had already left while one was searching the mountains and forests.

Hopefully, as Chai Ze said, the sudden change in atmosphere is just a normal occurrence due to the extreme fragility of the sacred site of the ancients.

Hopefully, some people are simply being selfish, finding that so-called ancestral homeland, reaping the benefits, and then leaving quietly.

Ji You frowned slightly at this moment, and suddenly felt a surge of distracting thoughts rising up.

He had been suppressing his connection with the divine because he couldn't ask his own mind. Now that his divine sense had flown to the heavens, the connection with the divine had been reconnected, and some opportunities were now impossible to resist.

Ji You concealed his aura and then walked towards the northeast. As the jade pendant at his waist flashed, he appeared in the valley where he had come from.

At this moment, a light rain was falling in the valley, mixed with the rumbling thunder that kept echoing in the ears.

(End of this chapter)