There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 76 The Ancestor is nowhere to be seen
After temporarily calming the group down, Chen Qing immediately urged them, "I need to stabilize the cauldron; do not disturb me unless necessary!"

"Yes! Yes!" The jailer, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, hurriedly retreated.

But before leaving, a jailer cautiously inquired, "My lord, what role will you be assigned this time? Will you remain a jailer, or will you hold some other position?"

Chen Qing snorted coldly, speaking sparingly: "He'll discuss it afterward!"

The jailer was taken aback, but dared not ask any further questions, and bowed as he withdrew.

The stone gate slammed shut.

Chen Qing breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Li Benji hid in the Xuan Prison, even changing his identity to conceal his activities? His actions were meticulous, but how did all the prison guards know about it?"

He shook his head, his thoughts returning to himself.

"The Xuanyu Prison is heavily guarded, and it is easy to be exposed if you go out rashly. If you stay here for a long time, the prison guards will become suspicious or Li Benji's confidants will come, which will also lead to a dead end!"

He paced around and looked at the simple and quiet room. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. It even looked somewhat similar to Jiaowei Qinlu!

"eccentric."

His gaze swept across the corner, where a roll of animal hide caught his eye.

Unfolding it, the handwriting was crooked and messy: "The obsession is hard to let go, so I built a music studio to release it... The desire is hard to satisfy, so I need to replenish it regularly... I can't get rid of my other desires, only calligraphy and painting can settle them..."

"So that's how it is..." Chen Qing immediately understood. No wonder there were strange scenes of playing the zither and chess here. It was clearly because Li Benji's obsession with the vessel was hard to erase after he possessed the body, so he was forced to use elegant activities to guide and suppress it!

"If you behave strangely in the future, use this as an excuse!" Chen Qing put away the animal skin scroll.

As I was pondering this, a dull pain suddenly shot through my dantian!

"Ok?"

Chen Qing's mind sharpened, and he immediately looked inward. He saw that the decaying golden core was pulsating slowly. With each pulsation, wisps of foul air seeped out from the cracks, quietly eroding the newly formed dantian membrane!
The luminous light in the dantian, symbolizing the initial perfection, was polluted, its radiance dimmed, and its circulation became sluggish.

"It really is a major hidden danger!"

Chen Qing's heart sank. Although this pill had no owner, it was self-contained, like a continuously leaking source of filth! If left unchecked, its foundation would be completely corrupted and assimilated!
His mind raced, drawing upon a sliver of starlight and tribulation light deep within his dantian.

"Buzz!"

The pale white stardust trembled slightly, and a chilling, desolate aura spread, instantly forcing back and freezing the dissipating foul air! The pulsation of the golden core also paused for a moment.

However, as the light of the calamity subsided, the insidious erosion quietly began to grow again.

Cutting flesh with a dull knife is even more agonizing!

"This thing is like a sword hanging over my head, ready to explode at any moment! It must be dealt with as soon as possible!" He made a decision in his mind, "The best strategy is to refine it for my own use, the middle strategy is to peel it off and expel it, and the worst strategy is to cut off its tail and save my life! The key is to find a way to interfere with the Golden Core!"

"Rashly inquiring about Li Benji's former subordinates might give me away!" His mind raced. "Black Reef Island is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with imperial court officials and disciples of major sects gathered there. There might be an opportunity! I wonder if I can exchange it for merit points. Then I can use the sect's name to cover it up!"

Suppressing his anxiety, he sat cross-legged and focused his mind, using the light of the tribulation to suppress the erosion while pondering how to escape and find a solution.

The seven-day deadline has almost passed.

"If I start a new chapter in the future, I can't make things difficult for myself. I have to set a comfortable beginning."

Just as he was concentrating, preparing to face the impending departure from the dream...

"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."

Three knocks were heard outside the quiet room!
His heart tightened, and he imitated Li Benji's hoarse, indifferent voice: "What is it?"

A respectful, deep voice came from outside the door: "My lord, the Jade Capital has sent another 'fallen phoenix.' Although its cultivation has been ruined, its fortune has not been extinguished. Would my lord like to take a look?"

From Yujing?

A powerful figure whose status has been diminished?
Chen Qing felt a chill run down his spine!
The less trouble, the better!
"I won't see you!" His voice was even colder, revealing his impatience at being disturbed.

There was a moment of silence outside the door.

The voice sounded again: "My lord, did the replacement of the cauldron go smoothly? The foundation of the Xuan Yin Formation in the southwest corner seems to be showing signs of cracking..."

coming!

This must be Li Benji's true confidant!
Chen Qing snorted coldly, his voice tinged with impatience: "This boy has extraordinary talent, but the cauldron has backfired, he needs to rest and recuperate!"

There was a long silence outside the door before the voice said with regret, "What a pity. This noble prisoner may be of great benefit to the master. He needs to rest and recuperate. I shall take my leave."

The footsteps gradually faded away.

Chen Qing, however, was still worried.

"It's possible that we've managed to hide it."

The man outside spoke respectfully, yet every word he uttered was cryptic!
"Li Benji is still paying attention to the situation in Yujing? Could it be that he's using the luck of those in distress to nourish himself? In any case, this is not a place to stay for long; we must get out as soon as possible!"

The thought had barely formed!

"Om-"

White mist surged, and a sudden sense of detachment washed over me!

The seven-day limit has been reached! Before his consciousness completely departed, Chen Qing imprinted three obsessions into this body.

"Firstly, nourish the physical body and solidify the foundation of the Dao!"

"Secondly, suppress the impurities in the Golden Core and preserve its original essence!"

In his final moments, he remembered the innate comprehension of this body in his dream, as well as the necessary techniques for his present-day self, and added one more—

"Thirdly, study the 'Primordial Qi Scripture' and thoroughly investigate the methods of gathering Qi and concealing the spirit!"

Once the obsession was settled, the white mist engulfed consciousness.

Inside the Guanhai Pavilion, Chen Qing's eyes suddenly snapped open!
A few wisps of spiritual energy flowed into the crown chakra, but the yield was meager, as expected.

But then, a sudden change occurred!
A tiny black flame appeared silently!
"Residual poison from the Golden Elixir?!"

Chen Qing's expression changed drastically!

If the corrupting and eroding essence of a decaying golden core were to cross into another realm and backfire on the original body, the consequences would be unimaginable!
He made a decisive move, and the Taihe Silver Stream in his dantian, carrying the azure white stardust, transformed into a torrent that rushed straight towards the black fire!
Unexpectedly, the black fire suddenly dissipated, transforming into pure and powerful primordial energy that merged into the body's meridians, flesh, blood, and dantian!
The next moment...

"boom!"

A violent tremor ran through my dantian!

The illusory image of the natal talisman, which had already been solidified and was just one step away from completion, was injected by this sudden and strange torrent of primordial energy!
Above the talisman, mountains and seas revolve, and stardust bursts forth!

A tremendous force, far exceeding that of the mid-stage, erupted like a volcanic eruption!

Upon seeing this, Chen Qing cut off his distracting thoughts: "Since the opportunity has arrived, we should seize it!"

"Buzz!"

The Great River of Harmony surged and churned! At its core, the illusory image of the talisman shone brilliantly amidst the interplay of starlight, tribulation light, and the radiance of mountains and seas!
No guidance needed, it will all fall into place naturally!
Countless pure spiritual energies of heaven and earth surged back wildly, forming a visible vortex that plunged entirely into his spiritual core! His bones and muscles crackled and popped, his aura rising steadily until he broke through the shackles in an instant!

The stars, the light of calamity, and the shadows of mountains and seas converged in an instant, condensing into a dazzling and intricate star destiny talisman in the sea of ​​qi!

Late stage of the second realm, accomplished!
The whole process took only a few breaths!
Chen Qing looked inward at his dantian, where the light of the star constellation talisman flowed and merged seamlessly with the Great Harmony River. The starlight and stardust were like sand settling in the Milky Way, exceptionally stable.

That trace of black fire energy has been completely refined, leaving no hidden danger.

He thought to himself, "Although it's not a big problem, it's best to find some methods to expel external evils and prepare them. Also, I can't let my guard down completely, after all, he's at the Golden Core stage, far superior to me..."

With a thought, Chen Qing directed his intention to the Niwan Palace (the area around the temple of the head).

"My seed of cultivation has spiritual light; should I be considered to have reached the perfection of the second realm?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in." With a slight thought, he withdrew his protective aura.

The door opened, and a woman in a palace dress walked in. She first looked surprised, then offered her congratulations: "Congratulations, Sect Leader Chen, on your further advancement!"

Her voice was filled with genuine admiration: "Just now, the spiritual energy rippled slightly, and I thought it was just ordinary breathing exercises. I didn't expect it to be a sign of progress! The sect leader's aura is perfectly smooth and flawless, and his foundation is so solid and stable that there is not a trace of superficiality. It is as if he has already mastered this state!"

A fleeting look of inquiry crossed her eyes. Those who served in the Guanhai Pavilion possessed extraordinary insight and knowledge, and could naturally see that Chen Qing's breakthrough was smooth and his foundation was solid, far surpassing his peers!
Chen Qing stood up and said, "It's just a natural progression." He then changed the subject and got straight to the point: "My cultivation has reached the late stage. According to what Mr. Su said, I should be able to re-enroll the roster and participate in the regulation of the geomagnetic field of Xuyuan Mountain. Where should I go to complete this process?"

The woman in the palace dress was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized: "So the sect leader's breakthrough was aimed at Mount Xuyuan!" After a moment's thought, she said: "Please come with me. We need to be examined again by the 'Dongxuan Mirror' and have the Mirror Master record the information before it will take effect."

Then, she led Chen Qing to the hall, where Xu Yan was playing chess with Su Zhijin.

Upon seeing Chen Qing enter, Xu Yan placed his chess piece down, raised his eyes, his gaze slightly narrowed, and stroked his beard, praising, "Young friend, you broke through to a higher realm overnight, your aura is perfectly smooth and flawless, and your control over your essence and energy is exquisitely refined, truly rare!"

Su Zhijin was also moved. This person was only at the mid-stage of cultivation yesterday, but today he was completely at the same level. If Elder Xu hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have noticed the change immediately!

Chen Qing then stated his purpose directly.

Upon hearing this, Su Zhijin immediately found it absurd.

A broken mirror overnight, all for this? These exceptionally talented individuals are truly unpredictable!

He suppressed his surprise and said seriously, "Sect Leader Chen insists on going up the mountain, do you think the opportunities there are greater? In fact, the Zhenhai Division's merit treasury is also quite abundant, and the merit gained may not be inferior to the opportunities in the remaining mountains."

Chen Qing immediately said, "Having come this far, it would be a great regret not to have stepped into the Void Abyss."

"Well said!" Xu Yan laughed loudly, and the chess piece landed on the chessboard with a "thud". "Seeing the sky and the earth, I realize how insignificant I am. This is a very good intention! And within the rules, there is nothing wrong with it!" He looked at Su Zhijin: "Envoy Su, let's follow Sect Leader Chen's wishes and re-register them and include them in the dredging team. That will save us the trouble of going through the formalities."

He then looked at his disciple Ling Xiao, who was sitting to the side: "You will also come up the mountain to protect the great formation. This will also be a test of your skills."

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiao was first taken aback, then her face paled slightly: "Master, this disciple has just begun practicing..."

"How can a fledgling eagle soar through the sky without experiencing wind and rain?" Xu Yan's tone left no room for doubt. "Having a comrade like Sect Leader Chen, with such a solid foundation, by your side is truly your blessing!"

Su Zhijin's eyes twitched slightly as he listened, and he really wanted to ask Master Xu, "Is this disciple your biological son?"
Seeing Xu Yan's kind attitude, Chen Qing thought to himself that the old man was truly a kind person who wanted to take him as a disciple. After a moment's thought, he said, "This junior has another matter to ask you."

"Oh?" Xu Yan said with great interest. "As an official of the imperial court, it is my duty to help you cultivators solve your problems. Please speak freely."

Su Zhijin's eyelids twitched again.

Chen Qing considered carefully and said, "I have a friend who is afflicted with a strange kind of true energy, which is like a maggot clinging to my bone and difficult to eradicate. I wonder if you have any effective methods to suppress it?"

　The second update is coming soon...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)