Chaos Dao Sheng Jue

Chapter 1546 Laozi Li Er

The problem is that activating the stone pillars requires a huge amount of energy, and it must be pure power of the same attribute.

“There are three of us, so we can only activate a maximum of three,” Nezha said, frowning. “And the attributes might not match.”

Lu Chen pondered for a moment: "If I use the power of the Great Dao's origin, I should be able to simulate multiple attributes, but it will take time, and..."

He looked into the depths of the pool, where ominous ripples could be faintly seen.

At this moment, the golden pearl world trembled again, this time pointing in a certain direction of the pool. In that direction, the pool water was a darker color than elsewhere, as if it had been polluted. Moreover, Lu Chen could sense a familiar, nauseating odor.

“They’re over there,” Lu Chen pointed in that direction, “about… three hundred miles away from us.”

Three hundred li is usually covered in the blink of an eye. But here, crossing the Nirvana Pool, which can dissolve everything, is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Lu Chen, what did you say about there?" Fang Xinyi asked in confusion.

"It's Gu Tingyuan, the patriarch of the Gu family, Ding Yiyan, Ling Muyang, and others. They're there trying to resurrect the Ancient Demon God," Lu Chen explained.

Although they didn't know how they knew this information, both Nezha and Fang Xinyi were shocked upon hearing it.

"What should we do then? Should we try to stop them? The problem is how do we get across? Should we just swim across?" Nezha said, calming himself down.

"You really have wild ideas. If we just swim across like this, we'll definitely be decomposed into nothingness by the pool water." Fang Xinyi rolled her eyes at Nezha.

Lu Chen walked to the edge of the platform, squatted down, and reached into the pool water.

He stopped just before his fingertips touched the water. Not out of fear, but because the pool water had suddenly come to life.

The once calm, churning surface of the pool suddenly rippled. A whirlpool formed beneath the platform, and something slowly rose from its center.

Immediately afterwards, a stone tablet came into view.

The stone tablet was entirely black with a smooth surface, devoid of any writing. However, as it rose fully and stood upright on the edge of the platform, characters began to appear on its surface.

It's not divine script, not runes, but Chinese characters from Earth!

Upon seeing this, Lu Chen's pupils contracted sharply; he recognized it immediately as Small Seal script.

Fang Xinyi and Nezha were also stunned when they saw this.

The inscription on the stele is very simple, consisting of only three lines:

"When you come after me and see these words, it means you come from my hometown."

"Beneath the Nirvana Pool lie the gifts I left behind, and also the regrets I couldn't fulfill."

“Beware of ‘shadows,’ they are everywhere. — Li Er.”

Li Er?

Lu Chen felt the name was familiar, but couldn't quite place it for a moment. However, the next second, he suddenly realized something.

Because he suddenly remembered that Li Er was the same person as Lao Tzu of Taoism.

Moreover, most of the content in the Tao Te Ching is basically the same as that in the Chaos Dao Sheng Jue.

"Laozi..."

Lu Chen's fingers traced the carvings on the stone tablet; the touch was icy, yet the Chinese characters carried a familiar feeling that transcended time. He could sense that Lao Tzu, who carved these characters, must have had complex feelings at the time—a mix of nostalgia, regret, and perhaps even a touch of relief.

"Do you recognize these characters?" Nezha leaned closer, his eyes fixed on the stone tablet, but he clearly couldn't understand them.

Fang Xinyi also came over. Although she couldn't read Chinese characters, she could feel the principles and charm contained in the handwriting.

“This is the script of my hometown.” Lu Chen’s voice was a little hoarse. “The person who wrote these characters must have been my predecessor, a very remarkable person.”

"Hometown?" Fang Xinyi recalled what Lu Chen had mentioned before, "Is it the mortal world without cultivation civilization that you mentioned before?"

Lu Chen nodded: "But this Senior Li is obviously not simple. The fact that he was able to come to the Nirvana Forbidden Land and leave this stone tablet means that his cultivation has reached at least the Hunyuan Realm, or even higher."

Primordial Chaos Realm!

Fang Xinyi and Nezha were startled upon hearing this. The entire Divine Realm hadn't seen a true Grand Luo Golden Immortal for countless years. If this Senior Li was truly a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, then he was indeed an extraordinary figure.

"What gift did he leave behind?" Nezha asked curiously. "Is his regret that he didn't finish repairing the Divine Realm?"

“Maybe more than that.” Lu Chen looked into the depths of the Nirvana Pool. “The stone tablet says that there are gifts he left behind at the bottom of the pool, as well as regrets he couldn’t fulfill. We’ll have to go down to find out.”

He looked at the stone tablet again, this time examining it more closely. The tablet was made of a very special material, neither gold nor jade, but rather like some kind of primordial substance solidified. The inscriptions were not carved, but rather "imprinted" on by some kind of force, remaining clear even after countless years.

At the bottom of the stone tablet, there is a line of very small characters that had been previously overlooked:

"Only when the nine pillars are in their proper places can the gate of life open; if one encounters a shadow, one must sever all thoughts and desires."

The phrase "nine pillars in their proper places" clearly refers to the nine stone pillars on the platform. To open the "gate of life" leading to the bottom of the pool, all the stone pillars must be activated.

“Sever the heart and sever the thoughts…” Fang Xinyi pondered these words. “The shadow will imitate the person you love most, attacking not only the body but also the mind. So you must sever the obsession in your heart so that you will not be deceived by it.”

Lu Chen nodded, then turned to look at the nine stone pillars: "We need to activate these stone pillars first. I have the power of the Great Dao Origin, which can simulate multiple attributes, but it will take time."

Nezha, you specialize in fire, so you'll be in charge of the Fire Pillar; Miss Fang, your Green Wood Longevity Technique is full of vitality, so you'll be in charge of the Wood Pillar.

“I’ll be responsible for the remaining seven,” Lu Chen continued. “The power of the Great Dao’s origin is all-encompassing and can theoretically simulate any attribute. But I need you to help me stabilize the corresponding stone pillars to avoid energy conflicts.”

Without further ado, the three of them took immediate action.

Nezha walked to the pillar of fire, and his three-headed, six-armed form manifested, with all six arms pressing down on the pillar. A surge of violent fire-attribute divine energy flowed in, causing the red gem at the top of the pillar to light up, emitting a scorching light, but the light flickered and was clearly unstable.

"Hold on!" Lu Chen shouted, and a red burst of fire elemental power shot out, enveloping the pillar of fire.

The power of the Great Dao began to regulate the energy inputted by Nezha, making it smoother and more stable. The red gem finally lit up steadily, and flame patterns appeared on the surface of the stone pillar.

On the other side, Fang Xinyi was fully activating the Azure Wood Longevity Technique, injecting silvery-white life force into the wooden pillar. The green gem lit up, and countless tiny buds sprouted out of thin air around it, filling the air with a fresh scent of grass and trees.

The two stone pillars were activated, causing the platform to vibrate. An invisible barrier began to form, protecting the three people inside.

Lu Chen took a deep breath and walked to the center of the remaining stone pillar. He closed his eyes and circulated the Chaos Dao Life Technique, simultaneously unleashing the power of the Great Dao's origin to simulate—Netherworld, Earth, Water, Metal, Time, Space, and Heart!

Seven streams of the Great Dao's primordial power, each a different color, shot out and accurately struck the corresponding seven stone pillars.

Deep black, ochre, deep blue, silver-white, gray, silver, and transparent—seven gems light up simultaneously!

However, the activation process was far more difficult than imagined.

Although the power of the Great Dao's origin can simulate various attributes, it is ultimately not pure primordial power. Each stone pillar instinctively repels, trying to deflect the power of the Great Dao's origin.

Lu Chen needs to maintain seven different frequencies simultaneously and precisely adjust the energy output, which is extremely taxing on his mental energy.

At this moment, veins bulged on Lu Chen's forehead, sweat poured down his face, and his body trembled slightly. Fang Xinyi saw this, anxious but daring not to disturb him, and could only do her best to maintain the stability of the wooden pillar…