novelraw Chapter 260 : Dao Seal—Huaixu!
Chapter 260 : Dao Seal—Huaixu!
Chapter 260: Dao Seal—Huaixu!
During this period, Chu Huaixu had developed some personal understanding of the so-called Dao Seal.
He began to find the act of the Dao Ancestor bestowing seals rather mysterious.
In truth, he could now, using the Medicinal Cauldron and Origin Power, craft something similar to a Dao Seal on his own—a power of all things.
Yet he still chose not to rely on himself to make such a thing, even though this meant giving up the initiative.
He was simply too curious.
Curious about what two characters the Dao Bell would grant him.
And at this very moment?
What appeared beside the Dao Bell was his name—
——【Huaixu】.
Huaixu, the time of summer.
He didn’t believe this was a coincidence.
His current identity in the Xuanhuang Realm was Huo Dingyi.
From a certain perspective, the name Chu Huaixu was one he had chosen himself—his real name from Earth, carried over.
Members of the 【Organization】 had only codenames, not real names.
Just like Niu Yuanshan was actually Mu Bingjiu. “Niu Yuanshan” was merely a random name he had chosen when he infiltrated the Dao Gate as an undercover agent.
There had never been a “Chu Huaixu” in this world!
“I clearly altered the Dao Ancestor’s prophecy. Whether it’s Big Ice Block’s fate or Little Xu’s, both have changed because of me.”
“There’s no reason the Dao Ancestor could’ve predicted me.”
“If he had predicted me, then why would the prophecy he left behind change because of me?”
“But if he didn’t predict me, why would the Dao Bell grant the name Huaixu?”
He had already investigated and asked Jiang Zhi and the others—this Dao Bell didn’t fall under the category of spiritual artifacts. It barely possessed any spirituality.
Strictly speaking, it was merely a container for the three thousand Dao Seals.
More importantly, in the poems of Xu Ziqing and Han Shuangjiang, the phrase 【One Lamp】 appeared.
And the name “Huo Dingyi,” when broken apart, just so happened to form 【One Lamp】.
Chu Huaixu found this thought increasingly disturbing.
Yet he also suspected he might be overthinking things.
——Was the Dao Ancestor’s greatness and mystery all just my imagination?
After all, if that were the case, then in Xu Ziqing’s poem, the line “A single lamp hangs in the eternal night”—who did it refer to?
And in Han Shuangjiang’s poem, “A lamp in the long night”—who was that referring to?
Don’t tell me, damn it, it was actually me?
Right now, Chu Huaixu was sitting with his eyes shut, digesting the power within 【Dao Seal: Huaixu】.
As a result, he had not yet noticed the line of verse related to him.
At this moment, all he felt was warmth spreading through his body.
As if the early summer sun were gently shining down on him.
In fact, his sense was correct.
Because right now, it was precisely the month referred to by 【Huaixu】.
Huaixu also referred to the fourth lunar month.
Today had originally been an overcast day.
And yet, a brilliant golden beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Chu Huaixu completely.
It came from the sun, half-obscured by clouds and mist.
Xiang Yan and the others couldn’t help but look up to the heavens, stunned by the phenomenon.
“Could it be that his 【Southward Sunlight】 is drawing upon the power of the sun?” he muttered.
Jiang Zhi frowned slightly but said nothing.
Chu Huaixu always stood out. Each time he encountered some fortune or strange event, the scene he triggered was unlike anyone else’s.
Now, not only were the two characters bestowed by the Dao Ancestor unusually strange—being his own name—but even the format of his verse was different.
The pillar of light descending from the sun pierced heaven and earth. Even a hundred miles away from the Dao Gate, it could be seen clearly.
——A heavenly phenomenon had descended!
And in a sense, wasn’t this—
A single lamp?
Or rather, a pillar of light resembling a lamp?
Chu Huaixu could gradually feel the enhancement brought by this two-character Dao Seal.
It was uncanny, as though it had been tailored just for him.
Firstly, it reinforced the Dao Seal 【Southward Sunlight】.
【Huaixu】 signified summer; 【Southward Sunlight】 signified the sun. Together, they became midsummer.
It functioned as a support effect, boosting the power of 【Southward Sunlight】 by thirty percent.
In addition, Chu Huaixu’s Body Training Divine Ability—【Flesh Becomes Saint】—would cause a golden mark to appear at his brow when activated, golden flames to burn in his eyes, and his blood and qi to surge.
That too had been strengthened.
The golden flame began to take on a scorching effect. If he entered the Saint Body State, his body would now possess both blood-burning and flame-scorching power.
His physical attack power had increased by roughly thirty percent.
——Scorching summer sun, blazing in the sky!
The terrifying energy radiated outward, subtly raising the temperature around him.
Xiang Yan and the others exchanged looks, finding the scene rather uncanny.
“How come even his Body Training Divine Ability received a boost?” Zhao Shuqin observed through his eye technique, clicking his tongue in amazement.
“Moreover, the suppression it offers against cold Yin energy is unparalleled.”
“If he had this Dao Seal before descending the mountain, then during that Evil Cultivator’s ice freeze on Guanghan Cliff, the Yin Vein’s power wouldn’t have harmed him.” Zhao Shuqin analyzed.
Yet at the mention of that incident, the Dao Gate’s senior members fell into brief silence.
It was Nangong Yue who eventually broke the quiet, shifting the topic by turning her gaze to Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.
Xu Ziqing had received a Dao Seal named 【Imperial Chariot】, and the Big Dipper earned such a title precisely because of its unique nature.
Its seven stars were named: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang.
Another naming convention referred to them as: Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Prosperity Keeper, Literary Curve, Integrity, Martial Curve, and Army Breaker.
Often, the Big Dipper was used to determine direction, seasons, and time.
Hence, it was seen as a symbol of order.
【The Big Dipper, south of the Purple Forbidden Enclosure and north of the Supreme Palace, is called the Imperial Chariot. It commands, governs the center, and regulates the four directions, establishes the seasons, balances the five elements, sets transitions, and defines systems—all reliant on the Dipper.】
Its cosmic status and significance were self-evident!
And it was clear that the Dao Seals left by the Dao Ancestor each carried a trace of his personal will.
Now, with Kunlun Grotto-Heaven seeking to invade and a Heaven-and-Earth Calamity looming, if all this were to come true, it would spell untold suffering and collapse of order!
Then, what kind of power did the Dao Ancestor envision for rebuilding order?
——It was killing power!
This was quite similar to when Han Shuangjiang had received 【Return to True Origin】.
It seemed that in the eyes of the old Dao Ancestor, the two saviors he had chosen were a bit too benevolent.
Zhao Shuqin, using his eye technique, detected something unique.
“Within Xu Ziqing, there’s also a stabilizing force.”
His internal order could not be disrupted from outside.
“This may help him resist the backlash of the 【Bronze Sword】.”
They had discussed before that Chu Huaixu’s appearance had changed Xu Ziqing’s fate.
Previously, wielding the Bronze Sword came at great cost.
Now, while the price seemed to have disappeared, the power it could unleash had been reduced—only around seventy percent of the sword’s true might.
Still, Xiang Yan and the others believed that if the sword spirit of the Bronze Sword continued to take control more frequently, Xu Ziqing might eventually lose command of his own body.
After all, the restrictions left by the Dao Ancestor primarily served to sever and seal.
They could pull the sword spirit’s control out of the body and then seal it away.
But if one kept losing control of their body over and over again, eventually, one might truly lose all control, and their internal order would collapse entirely!
“Now, this new Dao Seal has resolved that concern.”
“The Dao Ancestor truly lives up to his name—his arrangements are always so meticulous.”
“And all of this was orchestrated a thousand years ago.”
“Subtle as a snake’s trail in the grass, buried veins stretching a thousand miles—truly awe-inspiring.” Zhao Shuqin sighed in admiration.
As for the 【Taiyin】 power on Han Shuangjiang’s side, it corresponded perfectly with Chu Huaixu’s summer energy.
【The sun is the essence of fire, containing the true flame of the sun—golden, pure Yang, burning all things; the moon is the brilliance of water, containing the true water of the moon—silver, pure Yin, freezing the world.】
While Chu Huaixu caused the ambient temperature to rise—
Han Shuangjiang, standing beside him, made it drop.
Her aura was already cool and aloof, her techniques all imbued with frost and snow. Her Spirit Embryo was of the Profound Yin type—an impeccable match.
If Chu Huaixu knew this, he would’ve only thought: “Big Ice Block really did become Big Ice Block!”
Jiang Zhi and the others looked at these Dao Gate prodigies and felt they were glimpsing the future.
“The achievements of these three will be boundless!” A faint smile appeared on Xiang Yan’s face.
As the Sect Master, he naturally placed great importance on the sect’s legacy.
With them around, there was no need to worry about the Dao Gate’s decline.
Time ticked by. The Dao Gate’s senior members continued observing the changes.
Xu Ziqing, the first to receive his Dao Seal, was also the first to open his eyes.
Then came Han Shuangjiang.
Thus, they both had the fortune to witness the celestial phenomenon Chu Huaixu had summoned!
The youth and maiden couldn’t help but look up at the sun, at the pillar of light descending from the heavens.
Their hearts were filled with awe and reverence!
When Chu Huaixu finally opened his eyes, golden flames blazed in his pupils!
Compared to before, they burned even hotter.
Even his rank seemed to have subtly elevated.
After a few more breaths, the brilliance faded and clarity returned.
And that earth-shaking pillar of light gradually vanished.
Everyone began talking at once, exchanging what they had experienced.
Chu Huaixu quickly grasped the general idea of the powers gained by Big Ice Block and Little Xu.
Then, he immediately spoke up with a question.
“Grandmaster, Masters—when I received the Dao Seal, beside the characters 【Huaixu】, was there any verse?”
At his words, Xiang Yan revealed an odd expression and replied, “Rather than a verse, it felt more like a gatha.”
“What’s even stranger is that usually, the verse would contain the two characters of the Dao Seal, but yours didn’t. It didn’t include 【Huaixu】 at all.”
After saying this, he slowly recited the gatha.
When Chu Huaixu heard it, stormy waves surged in his heart once more.
Xiang Yan said:
“【With one lamp passing to many, in the end, all lamps shall shine.】”