novelraw Chapter 261 : Dao Seal: Huaixu!
Chapter 261 : Dao Seal: Huaixu!
Chapter 261: Dao Seal: Huaixu!
During this period, Chu Huaixu had developed some personal understanding of the so-called Dao Seal.
He had begun to feel that the matter of the Dao Ancestor bestowing the seal was rather mystical.
In fact, by now, he could already refine a power similar to the Dao Seal using the Medicinal Cauldron and Origin Power.
Yet he still chose not to rely on himself to produce this thing—even though doing so would have meant he had full agency in the matter.
He was simply too curious.
Curious about what characters the Dao Bell would bestow upon him.
And now?
What appeared beside the Dao Bell was his name.
——【Huaixu】.
Huaixu, the season of summer.
He refused to believe this was a coincidence.
The identity of this body in the Xuanhuang Realm was Huo Dingyi.
From a certain perspective, the name Chu Huaixu was one he had given himself—it was, after all, the real name he had used back on Earth.
People in the 【Organization】 only had codenames, not real names.
For instance, Niu Yuanshan was really Mu Bingjiu. The name “Niu Yuanshan” was something he had casually made up when he went undercover in the Dao Gate.
There was never a person named Chu Huaixu in this world!
“Even though I clearly altered the Dao Ancestor’s Prophecy, whether it be Big Ice Block’s fate, or Little Xu’s fate, both have changed because of me.”
“The Dao Ancestor shouldn't have been able to calculate my existence.”
“If he had foreseen me, why then would his Prophecy be altered because of me?”
“But if he hadn't foreseen me, why would the Dao Bell bestow the two characters ‘Huaixu’?”
He had already investigated and even asked Jiang Zhi and the others. This Dao Bell did not fall under the category of Spiritual Artifacts—it didn’t possess much sentience.
Strictly speaking, it was merely a vessel for the Three Thousand Dao Seals.
More importantly, both Xu Ziqing and Han Shuangjiang’s poems included 【One Lamp】.
And the three characters of “Huo Dingyi” just happened to form 【One Lamp】.
Chu Huaixu found this subtly terrifying upon closer thought.
But he also suspected he might just be overthinking it.
——Was the Dao Ancestor’s power and mystique entirely built on my imagination?
After all, if that were the case, then the line from Xu Ziqing’s poem, “In the eternal night, a single lamp hangs”—who would that be referring to?
And the line from Han Shuangjiang’s poem, “A lamp in the long night”—who would that be referring to?
It couldn’t damn well be me, could it.
At this moment, Chu Huaixu was sitting with eyes shut, digesting the power within 【Dao Seal: Huaixu】.
So much so that he had yet to see the verse associated with him.
Right now, all he could feel was warmth flooding through his entire body.
As if the sunlight of early summer was shining down upon him.
In fact, his feeling was accurate.
Because it was currently the month denoted by 【Huaixu】.
Huaixu also referred to the fourth lunar month.
Today was originally a cloudy day.
Yet a golden beam of light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping Chu Huaixu’s body.
It originated from the sun, obscured by the clouds.
Xiang Yan and the others couldn't help but raise their heads toward the sky, shocked by the phenomenon.
“Could it be that his 【Southward Sunlight】 is drawing on the sun’s power?” he murmured aloud.
Jiang Zhi frowned slightly, remaining silent.
Chu Huaixu was always so unique. Whenever he encountered fortune or strange events, the manifestations surrounding him were always different from others.
Now, not only were the two characters bestowed by the Dao Ancestor oddly his own name, even the verse tied to them didn’t follow the usual structure.
The pillar of light descending from the sun pierced through heaven and earth. Even from a hundred miles away from the Dao Gate, it could still be clearly seen.
——A celestial phenomenon descends!
From a certain point of view, didn’t this... resemble a lamp?
Or rather, it looked remarkably like a pillar of light from a lamp.
Chu Huaixu could gradually feel the empowerment brought by this two-character Dao Seal.
It was miraculous, as if tailored precisely for him.
First of all, it enhanced the power of the Dao Seal 【Southward Sunlight】.
【Huaixu】 signified summer, 【Southward Sunlight】 represented the sun—the two combined equaled summer sunshine.
It acted as a support effect, amplifying 【Southward Sunlight】’s power by thirty percent.
Aside from that, Chu Huaixu’s Body Training Divine Ability【Flesh Becomes Saint】would cause a golden imprint to appear between his brows, golden flames to ignite in his eyes, and his internal qi and blood to boil.
This aspect also received a boost.
The golden flames now began to produce a burning effect. If he entered the Saint Body state, his physical body would gain the power of burning blood qi and golden flame combustion.
His physical output strength also rose by roughly thirty percent.
——Scorching summer, blazing sun overhead!
The terrifying power radiated outward, causing the surrounding temperature to rise noticeably.
Xiang Yan and the others exchanged glances, also finding this somewhat wondrous.
“How is it that even his Body Training Divine Ability happened to receive a boost?” Zhao Shuqin activated his eye technique to observe and clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Moreover, this grants unparalleled suppression against yin-cold energies.”
“If he had this Dao Seal before descending the mountain, then when that evil cultivator froze Guanghan Cliff, the yin vein’s power wouldn’t have harmed him at all.” Zhao Shuqin analyzed.
But at the mention of this matter, the high-ranking Dao Gate members fell into brief silence again.
Eventually, Nangong Yue changed the subject, turning her gaze toward Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing.
Xu Ziqing had received the Dao Seal named 【Imperial Chariot】, and the reason the Big Dipper carried such a title was precisely due to its uniqueness.
The seven stars were named: Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Tian Ji, Tian Quan, Yu Heng, Kai Yang, and Yao Guang.
Another interpretation named them: Greedy Wolf, Giant Gate, Prosperity Keeper, Literary Curve, Integrity, Martial Curve, and Army Breaker.
Often, people used the Big Dipper to determine direction, season, and time.
Thus, it was regarded as a symbol of order.
【The Big Dipper lies near the Purple Tenuity Palace to the south, and to the north of Taiwei. This is called the Imperial Chariot, it governs commands, revolves at the center, controls the four directions, establishes the seasons, balances the Five Elements, regulates intervals, and fixes all calendars—everything is tied to the Dipper.】
Its status and significance among the stars was evident!
Clearly, the Dao Seals left behind by the Dao Ancestor each carried a touch of his personal will.
Now, with Kunlun Grotto-Heaven seeking invasion and the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity drawing near—if it all truly came to pass, it would spell devastation and chaos.
So, what kind of power would the Dao Ancestor deem necessary to rebuild order?
——Slaughter!
This was somewhat similar to when he bestowed Han Shuangjiang with 【Return to True Origin】.
It was as if, in the eyes of the Dao Ancestor, the two chosen saviors were a little too kind-hearted.
Zhao Shuqin, still using his eye technique, noticed another peculiar point.
“Xu Ziqing has also gained a power of stability within him.”
His internal order wouldn’t be disrupted by external forces.
“This may help him resist the backlash brought by the 【Bronze Sword】.”
They had previously discussed how Chu Huaixu’s appearance altered Xu Ziqing’s fate.
Before, using the Bronze Sword would’ve come at great cost.
Now, the cost seemed to have vanished, but so had some of the power—it could only unleash about seventy percent of the Bronze Sword’s full might.
But Xiang Yan and the others still believed that, once the sword spirit of the Bronze Sword repeatedly took over his body, he would eventually lose control of it entirely.
After all, the restriction left by the Dao Ancestor mainly functioned to extract and seal.
It could pull the sword spirit’s control out of his body and then seal it.
However, if a person repeatedly lost control of their own body, over time, they might truly lose all control—their internal order utterly collapsing!
“This new Dao Seal seems to have resolved that problem.”
“The Dao Ancestor truly lives up to his title. His arrangements are always so comprehensive.”
“And all of this... was his handiwork from a thousand years ago.”
“Like a snake in the grass whose trace winds a thousand miles—it inspires awe.” Zhao Shuqin sighed.
Meanwhile, the power of 【Taiyin】 within Han Shuangjiang now corresponded to Chu Huaixu’s summer power.
【The sun is the essence of fire, containing the true solar flame, golden in color, supreme yang and utmost vigor, burning all things; the moon is the splendor of water, containing the true lunar water, silvery in hue, supreme yin and utmost cold, freezing the heavens and earth.】
Chu Huaixu’s presence caused the ambient temperature to rise subtly.
Standing beside him, Han Shuangjiang made the surrounding air grow colder.
She was already cool in temperament, cultivated frost-based techniques, and even had a Spirit Embryo of Profound Yin—an utterly fitting match.
If Chu Huaixu learned this, he would’ve only thought: “Big Ice Block really is Big Ice Block!”
Jiang Zhi and the others looked at these Dao Gate prodigies and felt they were witnessing the future.
“The achievements of these three in the future will likely be boundless!” Xiang Yan’s face revealed a hint of a smile.
As the Sect Master, he naturally valued the sect’s legacy immensely.
Now, with these three around, he no longer had to worry about the decline of the Dao Gate.
As time passed, the Dao Gate elders continued carefully observing the changes in them.
The first to awaken from his Dao Seal was Xu Ziqing.
Then came Han Shuangjiang.
This allowed both of them to witness the celestial phenomenon triggered by Chu Huaixu!
The young man and woman couldn’t help but raise their heads to look at the sun in the sky, at the beam of light descending from ten thousand feet above.
Their hearts stirred with reverence and awe!
And when Chu Huaixu opened his eyes, golden flames blazed within his pupils!
Compared to before, they now burned even hotter.
Moreover, even his Rank seemed to have been elevated.
After a few breaths, the flames gradually faded, and clarity returned.
That earth-shaking pillar of light also slowly vanished.
Everyone began chatting and comparing notes.
Chu Huaixu quickly gained a rough understanding of the powers Little Xu and Big Ice Block had received.
Immediately after, he asked aloud:
“Ancestor Master, Masters—when I received my Dao Seal, beside the words 【Huaixu】, did any verse appear?”
Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan’s expression turned strange. He said, “Rather than a poem, it’s more like a gatha.”
“The strange part is, normally, the line includes the two characters in the Dao Seal, but yours didn’t. It didn’t contain the words 【Huaixu】.”
Only after saying this did he slowly recite the gatha:
“【With one lamp lighting another, eventually all lamps shine bright】.”