Chapter 839: Entering the Great Path Tree

Chen Mobai stood before the Great Dao Tree, gazing up at its colossal trunk that seemed to prop up the heavens and the earth. His heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of emotion.

He owed much of his current achievements to this Great Dao Tree. Without its empowerment, many things might not have been completed even to this day. For instance, his progress in the Sword Dao and grand techniques like 'A Leaf Blinding the Eye'. Without its fourth-tier forced growth, the Five Elements Sect would not have developed so rapidly, and Zhou Shengqing's attainment of the Nascent Soul Dharma Body also benefited significantly.

However, even as this Great Dao Tree bestowed upon him the profound foundational blessings of the Immortal Sect, it also cast an incredibly deep shadow over him. The memory of nearly being absorbed as a Saint Fetus resurfaced, and Chen Mobai instinctively gripped the Purple Lightning Sword.

"Master, should we chop it now?" the Purple Lightning Sword eagerly asked, sensing Chen Mobai's fluctuating emotions.

"Not yet!" Chen Mobai shook his head. Gripping the Purple Lightning Sword, he effortlessly took thirteen steps, flawlessly passing the Immortal Trial. The immense pressure that once made his divine sense and physical body tremble now felt as gentle as a spring breeze. During this process, he even paused during the last two steps, hoping the Great Dao Tree would empower him once more. He wanted to see if his grand techniques could be directly empowered to the fifth tier.

Unfortunately, the Great Dao Tree's limit was the fourth tier. Repeated empowerments could at most deepen his understanding within the fourth tier, but they couldn't help him break through that fundamental bottleneck. Chen Mobai felt a slight disappointment. The thought of having to rely on himself to break his grand techniques through to the fifth tier in the future made him feel as if it would be a waste of time.

Just then, a vibrant green leaf drifted down from the sky, merging with the glowing Saint Son leaf mark on his forehead.

"Thirteen steps before the Great Dao Tree, Immortal Grade achievement, eligible to be my Immortal Sect's Saint Fetus."

Chen Mobai nodded gently, having received the information that surfaced in his sea of consciousness. "Still the same old feeling." However, this time the Great Dao Tree did not immediately draw him in. "Could it be that it still hasn't recovered since being struck by the Purple Lightning Sword?" Chen Mobai wondered, observing the newest deep sword mark on the Great Dao Tree's rough bark as he waited.

He had already pushed the 'Sound of the Empty Valley' technique to its limits, and listening intently, he detected a hidden secret space within the Great Dao Tree. However, this time, he did not recklessly enter using Void Walking.

Finally, a powerful green light surged forth from nowhere, enveloping him entirely. Then, a dark rift opened in the center of the Great Dao Tree before him—the internal space had opened its portal, attempting to draw him inside. Chen Mobai first tested the Grand Unity Five Smoke Robe, only to find that this top-grade fourth-tier magic artifact could barely contend with the Great Dao Tree's green light. As time passed, his body, along with the vibrant mist emanating from him, was still slowly being drawn by the green light towards the rift.

He immediately switched to the Sky Origin Pearl in his palm. A fifth-tier magic artifact was a different matter entirely. With the Sky Origin Pearl, Chen Mobai's figure became as stable as a mythical sea-calming needle; no matter how powerful the green light, he remained firmly rooted before the Great Dao Tree, not moving an inch.

Though he had already formed his Nascent Soul, Chen Mobai's cautious nature remained unchanged. Since this Great Dao Tree was the very foundation of the Immortal Sect's legacy and also tasked with selecting a Saint Fetus for the Heavenly Venerate, it was certainly not as simple as it seemed. There might be fifth-tier restrictions or similar dangers within. It was better not to risk entering with his true body before understanding its full extent.

Chen Mobai took out the Formless Puppet he had prepared earlier, transferring his divine sense into it. Then, carrying the Purple Lightning Sword, he followed the green light into the rift of the Great Dao Tree. After the Formless Puppet was drawn inside, the Great Dao Tree's green light paused, then, as if sensing the Saint Fetus had entered, slowly dissipated. Chen Mobai's true body remained outside, protected by the Sky Origin Pearl, while his divine sense began to pilot the Formless Puppet to explore the deepest hidden secrets of the Great Dao Tree.

After approximately a few breaths, the Formless Puppet arrived within a mysterious grand hall. The Purple Lightning Sword circled Chen Mobai's puppet body, a little unaccustomed to its new form. Chen Mobai had equipped this Formless Puppet with a top-grade spirit stone, and with his modifications, it could unleash the power of a typical Core Formation cultivator.

"Master, why did you suddenly become weak?" the Purple Lightning Sword asked. Chen Mobai explained that it was merely an avatar, then proceeded deeper into the hall with the sword. The Formless Puppet's footsteps echoed along the ancient corridor. Meanwhile, powered by the top-grade spirit stone, its exploration mode activated at full capacity, swiftly mapping the grand hall's structure onto the screen.

After traversing the long corridor, he arrived at the very center of the grand hall. To his surprise, it was a dried-up pool.

"Divine Liquid Cleansing!" The term flashed through Chen Mobai's mind. To become a Saint Fetus, one's body must first be cleansed and purified, followed by the infusion of the Heavenly Venerate's divine consciousness. This was known as "Divine Liquid Cleansing" and "Divine Consciousness Enlightenment." This pool was likely where the Divine Liquid Cleansing occurred, but he hadn't anticipated that the divine liquid within it had long since dried up over the passage of countless years.

As Chen Mobai pondered this, he suddenly noticed something amiss. He spotted some debris in the pool. He retrieved a piece and, using the Formless Puppet, analyzed it, discovering it was human skin.

"Someone was cleansed into a Saint Fetus here!" The thought abruptly struck Chen Mobai. This implied that the divine liquid in the pool hadn't dried up but had been completely used.

"Who could it be?" A name quickly surfaced in Chen Mobai's mind.

True Monarch Yiyuan! It was widely known that this ascended cultivator had obtained the Immortal Sect's legacy in the Eastern Wilderness. Could it be that he established his supreme foundation right here?! Or perhaps... Chen Mobai's thoughts turned to the Divine Consciousness Enlightenment that followed the Divine Liquid Cleansing, and a storm of speculation erupted in his heart.

After thoroughly scanning the dried-up pool, Chen Mobai found more fragments of human skin, strands of hair, and other debris in the corners. After confirming there was no further information, he proceeded to the rear hall with the Purple Lightning Sword.

Upon entering, his gaze was immediately drawn to something. It was a half-meter long branch, seemingly rooted in the void itself. The branch was entirely crystalline, adorned with seven verdant, jade-like leaves that exuded an incomparably profound aura.

*Beep, beep, beep!* As soon as the Formless Puppet's scanning halo touched the branch, it flashed a vivid red warning—the highest level of alarm.

"Master, this branch... it seems... stronger than me..." the Purple Lightning Sword stammered out, clearly flustered.

Chen Mobai was instantly astonished. Although his true body hadn't entered, he could roughly deduce that this branch might be a sixth-tier object, or even higher than the sixth tier! "Could this be a branch from the Heavenly Venerate's true body?" Chen Mobai mused, simultaneously feeling fortunate that he had sent the Formless Puppet in first to scout ahead.

However, after waiting for a while, the step for Divine Consciousness Enlightenment did not begin. By this time, the Formless Puppet had also completed its scan of the rear hall, revealing that shelves which should have held numerous books and similar items were now empty. Clearly, someone had taken everything, leaving nothing behind for him. At this thought, Chen Mobai found True Monarch Yiyuan a bit excessive.

But quickly, his gaze returned to the verdant branch suspended in the void. If it truly was True Monarch Yiyuan, why would he have left this behind? Chen Mobai quickly considered this question. Given the local customs, one would surely take all available benefits. Since it was left behind, there could only be one explanation: it couldn't be taken! After reaching this conclusion, Chen Mobai became increasingly convinced that the branch must have originated from the Heavenly Venerate's true body. Given the Heavenly Venerate's realm, even True Monarch Yiyuan, prior to his ascension, likely couldn't have moved it.

Realizing this, Chen Mobai felt discouraged. If True Monarch Yiyuan couldn't take it, there was no way he could either!

But soon, he adjusted his mindset. Even if he couldn't take it, this Divine Tree Secret Realm and the Great Dao Tree were now under his control, which was a form of indirect ownership. With this thought, Chen Mobai piloted the Formless Puppet towards the verdant branch.

The branch seemed to lack consciousness, yet the immense energy it contained caused the Formless Puppet's alarm to grow increasingly loud. Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment, but still reached out his hand toward the branch. The instant he touched it, a vast torrent surged in, instantly overwhelming the Formless Puppet's memory. The Purple Lightning Sword beside him immediately knocked his hand away from the branch.

After a considerable time, Chen Mobai managed to clear some of the puppet's memory, then piloted the Formless Puppet to stand upright. Through that brief contact, he finally understood why the Great Dao Tree was capable of empowerment. The source, it turned out, was this very branch. It contained the entirety of the Immortal Sect's legacy, encompassing the Five Great Immortal Scriptures, the Twenty-Four Grand Techniques, and even skills related to the Sword Dao, talismans, artifact forging, alchemy, and more. This branch was also the origin of the entire Divine Tree Secret Realm. The Three Divine Trees and all the spirit wood within originated from it.

If one could absorb all the legacies from the branch, it would be equivalent to gaining the Heavenly Venerate's divine consciousness. Those with insufficient cultivation or willpower would be uncontrollably overwhelmed by this knowledge during the inheritance process, effectively becoming a miniature version of the Heavenly Venerate. If one's willpower was strong enough, they could, conversely, assimilate the Heavenly Venerate's divine consciousness, transforming all of the Immortal Sect's legacies into their own foundation and essence.

Fortunately, he had the Purple Lightning Sword by his side this time and had given it instructions beforehand. Otherwise, facing this verdant branch, at the very least, the divine sense within the puppet would have been overwritten, resulting in the loss of this Formless Puppet.

Amidst his relief, Chen Mobai suddenly pondered another question: Was True Monarch Yiyuan's divine consciousness overwritten by the Heavenly Venerate's back then? True Monarch Yiyuan's journey, from an ordinary pioneering cultivator in the Eastern Wilderness to a top-tier Divine Transformation True Monarch in the Tianhe Realm, was nothing short of legendary. This extremely mysterious experience made Chen Mobai very suspicious. After all, the Tianhe Realm was a highly perilous place; examples of those who obtained powerful inheritances only to perish halfway were plentiful. Yet True Monarch Yiyuan ascended!