Chapter 27: Wandering the Jade Capital, the Star of Morning Shines Upon a Foreign Land

On Mount Yujing, a young man dressed in strange attire hovered midair. He was Chen Xing, who had traveled here from the Eastern Sea. Since Chen Xing had defeated the Ancestral Dragon, the youngsters Niu Zhengwei and his companions had sparred with several dragon clan leaders at the Da Luo Golden Immortal level. At first, they suffered crushing defeats, but gradually, their battles became vibrant and spirited. They had gained enough strength to protect themselves, which eased Chen Xing’s worries. After all, times had changed, and he could no longer watch over them constantly; should anything truly happen, it would be problematic.

Since parting ways with Xiao Yao and the others, Chen Xing had journeyed straight to Mount Yujing, seeking out Hongjun. As for whether Hongjun was actually on the mountain at this moment, out of courtesy, Chen Xing hadn’t tried to divine it. Unlike before, when he could know the affairs of all worlds at will, now he refrained.

Thinking of this, Chen Xing subconsciously touched his brow, where the Heart of Primordial Chaos once resided. Previously, he could perceive the affairs of all worlds through it, but now, there was only utter chaos—no longer the sense of all things flourishing within his heart.

Chen Xing could not help but smile wryly and mutter, “Isn’t this self-torment? Sealing myself completely—my previous self has truly left a thorny problem for me!”

This brought to mind what Chen Xing had gained during his earlier meditation. Enlightened by Fuxi’s inadvertent guidance, Chen Xing had come to realize certain truths while his spirit wandered the myriad worlds.

Originally, he thought that perfecting his Dao heart would allow him to master his immense power and return to Earth to see his family without affecting the world itself. Yet, just as his spirit reached the edge of Earth, a faint trace of violet light shot from the planet into his soul, startling him.

When the violet light entered his soul, Chen Xing understood: this was a seed his previous self had deliberately left before severing his own divine consciousness.

His former self, the Lord of Primordial Chaos, stood high above, overseeing all living beings of the myriad worlds. Though he wished to descend to Earth to experience the myriad forms of mortal life, he feared he might never awaken a new consciousness—if he lost control, the myriad worlds would gradually decline until fading into nothingness.

Thus, his former self left this seed of special memory, intending to awaken a new will in the future.

For reasons unknown, Chen Xing did not receive this seed when he first awakened; only when his soul once again neared Earth did the seed sense him and finally emerge.

From the memories carried by the seed, Chen Xing realized that Earth was not a creation of his previous self, but rather plucked from the river of time: he had retrieved Earth from the future, placed it outside the current flow, and accelerated its civilization’s development—thus creating the Earth where Chen Xing had lived.

This Earth rightly belonged to the primordial world, not conjured from nothing. When the time came for Earth to emerge within the primordial world, it would rejoin the river of time, and everything upon it would begin anew...

Because of this, Chen Xing felt an urgent pressure. If he could not bring his family out before Earth’s true emergence, whether he could ever see them again was entirely uncertain.

Now he faced a deadlock: he could not return to Earth, his Dao heart’s tempering was too slow, yet he had to rescue his family before Earth’s resurgence in the primordial world. Thus, out of desperation, he had gritted his teeth, completely sealed the Heart of Primordial Chaos, and suppressed his cultivation to its lowest—Great Perfection of the Quasi-Saint realm—preparing to rapidly temper his Dao heart through trials of life and death, not, as Fuxi had thought, to play the fool and deceive his enemies.

Chen Xing understood that in the primordial world, it was nearly impossible to make progress in his state of mind. The Great Dao’s presence meant he could not truly experience life-and-death struggles—even if he wished to, the Great Dao would not allow it. Even though the Great Dao had withdrawn, Heaven’s Way was still its proxy.

Having made up his mind, Chen Xing planned to make some arrangements before setting out to train in worlds suitable for him.

Some might wonder why Chen Xing traveled between different worlds instead of perfecting his Dao heart in one suitable realm. The truth was, he dared not! At the Quasi-Saint level, he could no longer control the outcomes as before.

With ties to Xiao Yao and Nüwa, and the fear of missing Earth’s rebirth, he had to act with precision—if he ran out of time, he could seek other solutions.

Chen Xing walked slowly up Mount Yujing. Upon reaching the summit, he saw Hongjun approaching with two child attendants. Hongjun bowed and greeted him, “How fortunate I am to receive you, my friend!”

Chen Xing returned the bow and laughed heartily, “It’s been many years. How have you been?”

Hongjun gestured graciously. “It is a rare honor for you to visit my Mount Yujing. I must treat you well—please, come in!”

At the entrance to the Purple Cloud Palace, Chen Xing smiled quietly, noting the faint architectural echoes of Fangzhang Island, but said nothing, following Hongjun inside.

Once seated in the hall, Hongjun spoke, “Since you have come, you must stay for a while and allow me to play host.”

Chen Xing smiled, “I am here to request your assistance with something.”

“Please, you overstate it! I owe you much. Speak freely—what do you need?” Then, turning to the two attendants, he said, “Haotian, Jade Pool, go fetch some peaches for our guest to taste.”

“Yes!” The two children replied and left. Watching them go, Chen Xing mused, These must be the future Jade Emperor and Queen Mother of the Heavenly Court.

“What is it you would have me do?” Hongjun asked curiously, knowing Chen Xing’s cultivation exceeded his own and wondering what could need his help.

“I am about to journey far, and I worry that Xiao Yao and the others will have no one to rely on. I hope you can look after them.”

Hongjun relaxed—he had feared it was something more serious—and laughed, “My friend, you are too formal. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would not stand by idly. Besides, Xiao Yao’s strength is considerable; few in this world could harm her. Your concern is unnecessary.”

Just as Chen Xing was about to reply, Haotian and Jade Pool returned, each carrying a tray with ten peaches apiece. They set them down and bowed, “Please, honored guest, taste.”

Chen Xing thought for a moment, turned his palm, and two fruits appeared in his hand. He offered them, “I did not bring much on this visit, but these two fruits may help your cultivation.”

Hongjun, despite his profound cultivation, was slightly startled to see the characters “Huang Zhong” faintly inscribed on the fruits. He recognized them immediately as the legendary Primordial Plums.

Though his own peaches were among the ten great innate spiritual roots, their fruits were long past their first generation and now only aided those below the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm—presently, they were mere delicacies for him.

But the Primordial Plums Chen Xing produced were clearly first-generation fruit—one could elevate an ordinary cultivator to the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm with no side effects.

“My friend, these are too precious. On behalf of these children, I thank you!” Hongjun did not refuse but, seeing the two youngsters gazing eagerly, chided, “Well? Aren’t you going to thank him?”

The two ran up happily, accepted the plums, and bowed, “Thank you, elder.”

Chen Xing waved it off. “It’s only two fruits—no need for formality.”

Only then did Hongjun recall Chen Xing’s earlier words and asked curiously, “May I ask where you are traveling to?”

Chen Xing shook his head, giving Hongjun a meaningful look. “You will understand in the future. For now, knowing would bring you more harm than benefit—please forgive me.”

Realizing that Chen Xing had long since reached the saintly realm, Hongjun did not press further, though he wondered why Chen Xing’s cultivation now appeared as only Quasi-Saint. He had never seen through Chen Xing’s cultivation before, but assumed Chen Xing simply chose to conceal it.

Hongjun picked up a peach. “Though these are not as rare as your Primordial Plums, they have their own flavor—please, try one.”

Chen Xing smiled, took a peach, bit into it, and praised, “Worthy of being one of the ten great spiritual roots—the flavor is indeed remarkable.”

The two ate a couple of peaches; Chen Xing tucked the rest into his sleeve. After some light conversation, he stood and said, “There are still preparations I must make before I go, so I won’t disturb your cultivation any longer. Within ten thousand years, I shall return. In the meantime, I leave those on the island in your care.”

Hongjun quickly rose. “Rest assured, my friend—I will see to everything.”

Chen Xing bowed. “Then I take my leave. No need to see me out.” With that, his figure vanished before Hongjun’s eyes.

For this journey, Chen Xing had scoured the primordial world for many items he had once dismissed, now gathering them for future use. With only Quasi-Saint cultivation, he had to act with caution.

The world he was about to visit was, for unknown reasons, abandoned by both the Great Dao and Heaven’s Way. In the past, he hadn’t thought much of it nor investigated further, but now it had become the ideal place for his next journey—a twist of fate that left him sighing.

Years later, amid the chaos, Chen Xing gazed down at the primordial world, thought no further, and produced a shuttle-shaped treasure, carved with two mysterious characters: “Break the Barrier.”

A faint purple glow shimmered over the inscription. This was the Breaker Shuttle, a Primordial Chaos treasure from the depths of his heart, capable of traversing the myriad worlds. It was this treasure that let him seal his cultivation at the Quasi-Saint level; otherwise, with his current strength, crossing into other worlds would take countless millennia.

...

In a vast, boundless wilderness, a tiny village nestled in a hidden place. At the village entrance stood a lightning-struck willow tree, with only a single branch swaying in the wind, casting a gentle green glow. Beneath the tree rested a stone altar, holding offerings that resembled ritual sacrifices. Strangely, beside the offerings sat a small bowl filled with a milk-like substance.

Just then, a small figure dashed out of the village, hurrying toward the bowl. Behind him, a child’s voice called out, “Little One, save me a sip—don’t drink all the beast milk!”