Chapter 370: The Seven Treasures of the Dao

Chen Xiao fell silent the moment he heard the last words of the Fallen Spirit.
“The Gate of Life and Death… Within that gate, the bodies left behind from the three thousand Chaos Calamities…”
The Fallen Spirit watched Chen Xiao, who was deep in thought, without saying a word. In fact, what the Fallen Spirit had mentioned as “not long ago” was, in Chen Xiao’s eyes, already an infinitely distant history.
The Fallen Spirit had managed to survive three thousand Chaos Calamities by relying on the Fallen Heavenly Capital, proving his strength to be truly formidable. Yet now, his power was only at the level of a Heavenly Lord—this was largely due to his resurrected body within the Gate of Life and Death.
His strength had been drawn away by the consciousness that emerged from that body later on.
Suddenly, the Fallen Spirit’s expression changed. He was astonished to see that Chen Xiao’s overall aura had changed once again. Visible emotional patterns radiated from Chen Xiao’s body—twelve colors representing twelve emotions—weaving together into a translucent colored cocoon that enveloped his entire body.
Thoughts representing the truths of the Dao, its workings, and the principles of reincarnation continued to spread outward.
The Reincarnation Array was activated at full capacity.
At this moment, Chen Xiao did everything in his power to operate the Reincarnation Array using the emotional runes derived from his understanding of the Dao. In an instant, a myriad of complex emotions surged within him. Chen Xiao could barely control his mind, almost lost in this vast ocean of emotions.
The Dao is boundless and infinite. Chen Xiao was not yet the true Dao himself; he was still in the stage of understanding and borrowing from it.
Yet within Chen Xiao’s mind sea, a giant portal silhouette firmly suppressed his consciousness, ensuring that not a single spark of clarity was lost. No matter how fierce the storms of emotions arose, they could not overthrow his self.
The Gate of All Wonders.
Wondrous realms flowed out from this portal silhouette, which now had a crack open.
Gradually, behind Chen Xiao’s body within the Reincarnation Array, another giant portal silhouette began to emerge. This was not a projection of the Gate of All Wonders in his mind sea… but rather, the radiance emitted directly by another massive portal that existed independently.
The Fallen Spirit was stunned.
“This… is the Gate of All Wonders… the source of the wondrous realms. Has he already reached such a level?”
As an ancient being who had survived three thousand calamities, the Fallen Spirit certainly understood what the Gate of All Wonders was.
The Realm of Mystery and the Realm of Wonders are the most profound realms that beings can attain through cultivation. Once one reaches either of these realms, they can perceive everything within a Chaos Realm and even extend their thoughts into chaos to understand its true essence.
And that true essence is the Dao.
Throughout countless Chaos Calamities, many beings have achieved the Realm of Mystery. Even the Fallen Spirit’s former self was a powerful being who had grasped the essence of wonder.

But he could only vaguely sense the existence of the Gate of All Wonders through the realm of subtlety. He never imagined that this being, whom he had always looked down upon as insignificant, not only attained that realm but also summoned the phantom of the Gate of All Wonders—something no living being had ever truly seen throughout history.
The Fallen Spirit felt numb.
“Profound beyond comprehension—the Gate of All Wonders is, in fact, forged from profundity.” Suddenly, Chen Xiao opened his eyes and spoke calmly, “Only by using profundity as a gateway can one truly unlock subtlety.”
At that moment, Chen Xiao clearly sensed the confusion of the Fallen Spirit, so he spoke in the voice of the Dao, issuing a sharp command that was like a thunderbolt.
In an instant, the Fallen Spirit was immersed in endless enlightenment.
“Xianxian and the Fallen Heavenly Capital both reaped great benefits from the voice of the Dao and the realm of subtlety. How could I forget you?”
The next moment, Chen Xiao smiled slightly. He stretched out his index finger and tapped lightly in the void, causing Xi Xi, located at the core of the Fallen Heavenly Capital, to enter a state of sudden enlightenment as well.
…
Chen Xiao raised his head. The light emanating from his Eye of Reincarnation now resembled the color of chaos—gray and void-like. His vast mind, through the Eye of Reincarnation, instantly entered chaos. Everything within chaos flowed into his mind.
A portal almost as vast as a chaotic realm stood at its edge, yet there was not a single living being within that chaotic realm.
However, Chen Xiao had not been aware of this chaotic realm or the portal before. Had he not summoned the phantom of the Gate of All Wonders and fully activated the Reincarnation Array, he likely would not have discovered its existence.
This portal stretched from the heavens to the earth, exuding an unbearable sense of terror. Behind this terrifying aura lay a profound truth.
Why does life arise? How does it arise?
Why does death come? How does it come?
The basis for existence and the principles governing life and death seemed hidden beneath the terrifying aura of this massive portal.
A faint consciousness flowed from the portal—a sentiment of attachment to life and fear of death.
Chen Xiao’s mind condensed into a tangible form before this colossal portal, silently observing it.
“Attachment to life… fear of death… the way of living beings.”
Chen Xiao murmured to himself. The next moment, a phantom of the portal flashed before his figure, and then he stepped forward, entering that phantom portal.
…
This was a world full of vitality—sunny, with birds singing and flowers blooming. Everything here was thriving, seemingly able to exist forever.
Here, there was no decay, no withering, no death. The simple laws of life seemed to take tangible form, constantly circulating in this world.
“Dao friend, you’ve arrived.”

Suddenly, a indifferent voice slowly echoed. In the very heart of this world, an old man with white hair, white clothes, white eyebrows, and white beard sat quietly at a stone table, sipping gently from a cup of light green liquor. On the stone table lay a emerald-green wine pot and another cup, seemingly prepared for someone long ago. When the old man saw Chen Xiao enter, he raised his head and greeted him. “Fellow Daoist, friends in the Dao, friends of the Dao.” Only these two could possibly understand the subtle tone of this greeting in this world. Chen Xiao nodded slightly. His form, shaped by his thoughts, stepped forward and instantly appeared beside the stone table. “Sit,” the old man said. He raised his cup, took a sip, and didn’t look at Chen Xiao again. Though he said “sit,” there was no second stone stool on the other side of the table. Without hesitation, Chen Xiao paused and sat in mid-air, as if sitting on a stool. The next moment, the old man put down his cup and spoke, “I’ve been lonely in chaos for too long. How long have we waited for the second incarnation of the Dao?” The old man sighed lightly, but his tone carried no emotion—seemingly sighing just to sigh, speaking just to speak. Any emotion or feeling was unnecessary to him. “I’ve come merely to reclaim my elder’s body,” Chen Xiao said, avoiding unnecessary words and even skipping any formality, his gaze calm as he looked at the old man. Yet within that calm gaze lay a sentiment—suspicion. Doubt, another emotion, slowly circulated in Chen Xiao’s mind but did not take the form of tangible runes. Chen Xiao knew well that the emotions one must comprehend in the Path of Emotions were not limited to just twelve. The emergence of doubt undoubtedly led to another significant breakthrough for Chen Xiao. “My body was damaged in the struggles among the celestial forces; I need to be reborn using the ancient body within the Gate of Life and Death,” the old man said, his expression indifferent, showing no reaction to Chen Xiao’s doubt. The Dao that Chen Xiao had understood was the Path of Emotions, using emotions as a medium, while what this old man claimed to have understood was the same notion Chen Xiao had felt at the Gate of Life and Death—the Path of Living Beings. This old man’s understanding of the Path of Living Beings seemed to revolve around explaining the existence of living beings in the world, their true essence. By focusing on living beings and observing their actions, one could grasp the essence of the Dao. The Path of Living Beings, rooted in the existence of living beings, did not require emotional support. For this white-bearded old man, all emotions and feelings became obstacles to understanding the Dao, so he had long since eradicated them. Chen Xiao stared at the old man in silence. “You’re already dead,” Chen Xiao said softly after a while. “…” Hearing Chen Xiao’s words, the old man’s eyelids twitched slightly, as if an emotion was about to arise, but it was firmly suppressed by him. A single sentence from Chen Xiao shook the old man’s state of mind.

In fact, within the Gate of Life and Death, the body left behind by the Fallen Spirit included not only the rules and realms he had understood in his past life but also his soul. What was combined with the Fallen Heaven Capital was his true spirit, leaving behind a shell-like body and soul. This white-haired elder not only occupied the body of the Fallen Spirit but also seized its soul. In other words, aside from lacking the memories of the Fallen Spirit, he became the second Fallen Spirit. “But I still exist. To exist is to live,” the elder said, seemingly retorting to Chen Xiao, but clearly he no longer had any confidence. “Exist? Is it just a lingering obsession?” Chen Xiao shook his head. Looking into Chen Xiao’s eyes, the white-haired elder’s face turned red. “The way of living beings… the way of living beings… what exactly is it?” Chen Xiao, without looking at the elder, spoke to himself: “Living beings cherish life and fear death… but you have cut off all emotions…” Chen Xiao stopped speaking. For the elder before him, the last embodiment of the Way, his gaze was now empty. To cherish life and fear death are the emotions of living beings; all living beings instinctively fear death and cherish life. Yet this elder tried to explain it through indifference, which was inherently contradictory. However, the elder himself had not realized this before, so his understanding of the Way was never complete—just a narrow gap separating them. What Chen Xiao had understood was the Way of Emotions. Naturally, he could immediately see the flaws in this elder’s approach. “Beneath the Way, there are nineteen emotions, yet you have only mastered twelve.” Suddenly, the elder stopped focusing on his own Way and instead began to refute Chen Xiao’s Way. “Nineteen?” Chen Xiao shook his head. “Beneath the Way, there is nothing finite—no form, no shape. How can there be a fixed number? The Way we understand, even the rules practiced by all beings in the chaotic universe… transforming the intangible into the tangible is like taking just a scoop of water from the ocean.” Chen Xiao meant that the Way is like water in the ocean—without a specific form or number. But the amount of water taken with a scoop represents the amount of water, and the shape of the scoop represents the shape of the water. By using twelve emotions to extract twelve runes from the infinite Way, Chen Xiao understood the Way of Friendship—not because the Way contains only twelve emotions, but because he used these twelve emotions as a scoop to grasp the Way. The white-haired elder opened his mouth, then shook his head and sighed, “I have spent countless years observing the endless cycles of life and death in the chaotic worlds—how could I be surpassed by someone like you, who has not even completed one cycle of cultivation?” A faint sense of disappointment appeared on his face. At this moment, he did not try to stop him. “It’s like going in opposite directions,” Chen Xiao said. “You try to understand the existence of the Way through denial. Although the Way of Living Beings is also a fundamental principle of the Way, you fundamentally deny the emotions of living beings… Living beings are not just about life; they also have spirit, consciousness, and emotions.” Hearing Chen Xiao’s words, the elder fell silent.

“And I, who can comprehend the Dao, is so because I follow my own path. I affirm all forms of existence, acknowledge all that exists. The Dao of all things—whenever it exists, it has its reason, including… that formidable existence in the celestial path.”
“Is that so?”
A sense of desolation appeared on the white-haired elder’s face—not despair, but rather his re-entry into that state of indifference and desirelessness, and this time even more thoroughly.
“Then I will take indifference as my Dao—the Dao’s indifference, without desire or thought.” At this moment, the elder actually intended to overthrow his previous understanding of the Dao and comprehend it in a new way.
“The Dao follows nature.” Chen Xiao shook his head. From beginning to end, this elder had changed according to Chen Xiao’s words; he was doomed never to achieve anything.
At the realm of subtlety, with the phantom form of the Gate of All Subtleties as his body, Chen Xiao’s mind was far stronger than that of this elder, who had suffered severe trauma.
Hearing these four words, the elder could no longer control himself. A mouthful of red blood sprayed out, and he collapsed.
The next moment, an invisible flame slowly ignited on his body, threatening to burn him to ashes. It was his inner fire—a fierce fire capable of destroying both his body and spirit.
“It doesn’t matter if you die, but if this body is burned to ashes, how can I explain this to Xianxian?”
Chen Xiao waved his hand, and a mirror appeared in it—the Great Reincarnation Mirror, formed from the true essence of reincarnation.
“The seven treasures of the Dao… the Reincarnation Mirror…”
The elder stared blankly at the Reincarnation Mirror in Chen Xiao’s hand, muttering to himself.
“Seal it!”
Chen Xiao raised his hand, and a phantom image of reincarnation appeared on the mirror, instantly capturing the elder’s primal spirit within it.
Inside the Reincarnation Mirror appeared a young man in his twenties, with an ordinary appearance, nothing remarkable about him. The inner fire outside his body had completely extinguished inside the mirror.
“Sigh… If it weren’t for me possessing the Gate of All Subtleties, I might really have let you go…”
Chen Xiao sighed.
Although the Gate of All Subtleties was merely a phantom, it was extremely terrifying. In fact, Chen Xiao had grasped the other party’s intentions from the start.
He wanted to refine Tianhen.
On the celestial path, there already existed a vast being that continuously destroyed living beings, acquired life imprints, and perfected itself in order to refine the celestial path. This alone already hindered the flow of the Dao, disrupted reincarnation, and increased the amount of chaos, without ever transforming into other forms of existence.
But if this young man were to enter Tianhen and refine it, preventing the spread of the primal trajectory, it would mean that no new worlds would ever emerge from chaos, and the entire chaos would become an eternal silence.
It was precisely because he sensed such intentions that Chen Xiao had not shown him kindness from the start, even constantly opposing him and attacking him.
To deny his beliefs, shatter his state of mind, and create fundamental contradictions within him was undoubtedly the best approach.

“If the Heavens’ Mark is obscured, then the rules will not dissipate… There’s likely no need for the End of Reincarnation—all beings in this chaos will be destroyed…”
“And as for this portal, who could be so bored… Eternal life? Abandoning all other rules and keeping only the rule of life… That Fallen Spirit couldn’t do this; clearly, he was merely copying others’ ideas.”
“As for this imitation… Take it!”
With a loud roar, Chen Xiao shouted. A phantom image of the Gate of All Wonders appeared above his body. The grand Gate of Life and Death, which once stood on the edge of a chaotic realm, shattered instantly and was swallowed up by another portal only as tall as a person, leaving no trace.
As for the existence within the Gate of Life and Death, it was merely the operation of the pure rule of life, giving rise to some unconscious beings—such existences were no different from inanimate objects.
“As I thought… The Gate of Life and Death was created using fragments of the Gate of All Wonders, shaped after its form.”
In the heavens, Chen Xiao slowly opened his eyes. He carefully reflected on the Gate of All Wonders in his mind, which was gradually transforming from a vague shadow into a tangible form, murmuring to himself.
“The Seven Treasures of the Dao… The Realm of Reincarnation, the Gate of All Wonders… What else is there?”