Chapter 371: The Path is Lacking, Nineteen

Chen Xiao had never heard of the concept of the Seven Treasures of the Dao. Even during the time when he was one with the Dao and wandered through chaos, he saw not a trace of it.
Yet, coming from a being who was once chosen by the Dao to fulfill its will—sealed within the Mirror of Reincarnation and having experienced the path of sentient beings—such words could surely not be wrong.
In the next moment, within Chen Xiao’s mind sea, the Half-Substantial Gate of Wonders once again opened a crack. His realm of wonder rose once more, and his thoughts expanded as well.
The Seven Treasures of the Dao…
Chen Xiao’s mind frantically searched for any traces of these treasures’ existence.
“The Seven Treasures of the Dao truly existed— the Realm of Reincarnation, the Gate of Wonders… the City of All Living Beings…”
A cold sweat trickled down Chen Xiao’s forehead.
Of the Seven Treasures, he had only managed to deduce three so far, and even those were merely their names from history. Among these three, only the Realm of Reincarnation remained intact; the other two— the Gate of Wonders and the City of All Living Beings—had been shattered and scattered throughout chaos.
The Gate of Life and Death that Chen Xiao had devoured earlier was forged by a great being of chaos using fragments of the Gate of Wonders, in an attempt to escape the great calamity of life and death by relying on it within the boundless chaos.
Yet, inside the Gate of Life and Death were only incomplete rules of life, while the rules of death had been discarded to the other side. Even other trajectories emitted by the Celestial Marks in chaos were separated by this gate.
The world governed by the rules of life, though full of vitality, no longer had a foundation for existence. Thus, though that supreme being escaped several calamities of chaos, it was ultimately assimilated by the rules of life within it, and all traces of its existence were erased.
This was what Chen Xiao had deduced. As for the Fallen Spirit, after obtaining the Gate of Life and Death, it merely used its own body to nourish itself with the rules of life within it, rather than surviving through those rules.
As for the City of All Living Beings, it was none other than this Fallen Heavenly Capital. This capital was not forged by anyone; rather, it formed after the City of All Living Beings was shattered, with its fragments scattering and absorbing the primordial trajectories above the Celestial Marks within chaos.
The Mirror of Reincarnation, needless to say, contained the true essence of reincarnation—the core of the Dao. It was through this Mirror that Chen Xiao was able to achieve such progress in such a short time.
These three treasures were all things Chen Xiao had encountered or even obtained, which allowed him to deduce them. As for the other four treasures, he had no idea at all.
Yet instinctively, Chen Xiao sensed that these so-called Seven Treasures of the Dao were likely not forged by the Dao itself, but by some supreme being who truly understood the Dao and created them.
At least, the three treasures he had deduced reflected the understanding of the Dao from three aspects: the Realm of Reincarnation, the true essence of the Dao, and the constant transformation and endless cycle of all things.

The City of Scholars expounds on the way of living beings, or more precisely, the way of humans. Heaven, earth, and humans are the three manifestations of the Dao. In any chaotic realm, or even in any chaotic realm from countless eons ago, all living beings who wish to comprehend the existence of the Dao and improve themselves must take human form—there is reason for this.

As for the Gates of Wonders, they describe the realms of the Dao. The realms of Mystery and Wonder are the two closest to the Dao. Mystery upon mystery, indescribable wonder—the Dao itself is indescribable.

……

“What exactly are the Seven Treasures of the Dao?”

Suddenly, Chen Xiao remembered the thoughts of that young man who had grasped the way of living beings and was sealed in the Realm of Reincarnation, allowing his thoughts to be preserved. Now, that young man’s spirit had been burned by inner fire, leaving only his thoughts, which could exist only thanks to the Realm of Reincarnation.

“You actually possess two of the Seven Treasures of the Dao at the same time. You are stronger than me; I admit it.”

The young man’s thoughts took shape in the Realm of Reincarnation, though his expression was somewhat desolate.

“Just good luck,” Chen Xiao said with a shrug.

“Fortune favors only those who are always prepared. Otherwise, even if one has extraordinary fortune, if they are mediocre, they too will be abandoned by the Dao.”

The young man shook his head slowly and smiled bitterly.

“You were abandoned by the Dao not because of your mediocrity,” Chen Xiao said, realizing he was referring to himself. “Your idea was to refine the Heavenly Mark and use its power to oppose the Heavenly Laws… But once the Heavenly Mark is refined, the rules will no longer exist. The chaotic realm, without rules to maintain it, will completely collapse and turn into nothingness… Everything will be destroyed, and the Dao will lose its meaning of existence.”

“What else is there to do then?”

The young man lowered his head and shook his head, not knowing how to express himself.

“Leave it to me. Although you now only have your thoughts left, it’s not impossible to restore your spirit, rebuild your soul, and form a physical body.”

Seeing that he had shown remorse, Chen Xiao didn’t want to be ruthless. He had only strayed slightly in his thoughts. Moreover, before this, he had also fought for the Dao and struggled for the living beings in chaos, which is why he was left with only his thoughts.

The young man glanced at Chen Xiao and nodded.

“My name is Po Wang.”

He voluntarily revealed his name.

“Chen Xiao.”

A smile appeared on Chen Xiao’s face.

“Are you still willing to continue for the sake of the Dao?” Chen Xiao asked.

“That is my lifelong desire. Even if I give everything I have, I will still try to destroy that being above the Heavenly Laws…”

A fierce glint appeared in Po Wang’s eyes, his hatred displayed unreservedly.

Chen Xiao could see that his understanding of the Dao was ultimately driven by the desire to destroy that being and avenge himself, not by a desire to restore order in chaos. This deep-seated hatred had turned into a terrifying obsession, permeating his thoughts. His previous indifference wasn’t emptiness but forgetfulness—forgetting emotions, forgetting feelings.

Chen Xiao nodded.

Then why did he achieve enlightenment? Why take on this mission? It wasn’t because Chen Xiao was some great sage of benevolence who voluntarily took on the task of restoring order to the Dao. Rather… if he didn’t do so, he too would be killed by that being above the Heavenly Track, have his life seal taken away, and even his parents, loved ones, relatives, friends, and everything he cared about would be killed. Just for the sake of those he cared about, to fight for them—Chen Xiao didn’t have such a great heart. Or rather, the burden of all living beings was too heavy; Chen Xiao’s heart couldn’t bear it.

“Do you know what Tianhen and Tianluo are?” Suddenly, Po Wang spoke up.

Chen Xiao shook his head. He knew about Tianhen—it was the source of rules, the origin of the fundamental pathways. From another perspective, Tianhen itself was a vast fundamental pathway. As for Tianluo, it was obscured by that being, so even Chen Xiao couldn’t see what it really was.

“Tianhen and Tianluo represent the Two,” Po Wang said softly. “I don’t know the origin of chaos or the essence of the Dao, but I do know that before countless eons, when no life existed above the Heavenly Track, there was only one world in chaos. That world was boundless, far larger than all of the chaotic realms together as they exist now.”

“A world like that…” Chen Xiao frowned slightly. “…It seems chaos is constantly pressing down on that world… If such a vast world exists, wouldn’t it have to bear even greater pressure from chaos…?”

If chaos were water, then the chaotic realms would be bubbles in that water. Usually, the larger the bubble, the easier it is for it to burst.

“That’s right. Such a vast world couldn’t withstand the pressure of chaos… That’s why Tianluo exists,” Po Wang sighed. “The Two give rise to the Three… This so-called Three refers to that world—Heaven, Earth, and Rules. Tianhen is the source of rules, the beginning of the rules of Heaven and Earth. Tianhen, part of the Two, is responsible for creation, while the other part, Tianluo, supports all existence, stabilizing Heaven and Earth and perfecting the rules.”

Po Wang spoke slowly. What he was saying was likely ancient history even within chaos, something even the Fallen Spirit had never heard of.

At this moment, Chen Xiao finally understood the purpose of Tianluo and Tianhen. Tianluo was probably like the beams and spine of a house.

“The Seven Treasures of the Dao were also created in that world by seven extraordinary individuals who grasped the essence of the Dao, using its true nature. The Gate of Wonders you obtained ranks second, while the Realm of Reincarnation ranks third.”

“The Realm of Reincarnation, the City of Living Beings, the Gate of Wonders, the Blade of Emptiness, the Wheel of Cause and Effect, the Clock of Movement and Stillness… As for the seventh item, the most mysterious one—back then, the Seven Treasures of the Dao were well-known, but no one had ever seen them, not even knowing what the seventh item was. Even the creator of that seventh treasure couldn’t be certain whether it truly existed… And that treasure, which has no beginning or end, no trace or existence, is the one that ranks first.”

After saying that, Po Wang looked at Chen Xiao. Seeing him merely nod without any doubt on his face, Po Wang felt a hint of surprise.
“I thought you would ask me about that top-ranked treasure. Since no one has ever seen it, not even knowing its name, how can you be so certain of its existence and rank it first?” Po Wang shook his head and said with a bitter smile.
Chen Xiao curled his lips and said, “The existence of the Dao is inherently eternal and traceless; no one has ever seen it… In fact, even the term ‘Dao’ is something imposed upon it. Yet, the Dao truly exists… Isn’t that treasure precisely an embodiment of the essence of the Dao?”
Po Wang was stunned for a moment before sighing, “I’m not as good as you. Perhaps you truly will succeed in restoring chaos to its original state—the only world in chaos.”
“Eh… Even if I could kill that existence, I still couldn’t restore it,” Chen Xiao shook his head. “I don’t know how powerful the Heavenly Track is, but chaos keeps growing. Rules keep emerging, giving birth to all things. But after those things are destroyed, it only increases the total amount of chaos. The pressure of chaos is now countless times greater than in your era.”
“Maybe so. The Infinite Chaos Realm is still better than those repeated chaos calamities and the destruction of all things,” Po Wang said with a smile.
“Then how many of the Seven Treasures of Chaos remain? I mean the complete set,” Chen Xiao asked.
The City of Living Beings and the Gate of All Wonders had already been shattered. He guessed they must have been destroyed by that existence on the Heavenly Track.
“Maybe two,” Po Wang said uncertainly. “The Mirror of Reincarnation is intact. As for the others—the Clock of Movement and Stillness has been completely shattered and turned into chaos. The City of Living Beings, the Blade of Indifference, and the Gate of All Wonders have all been broken into fragments. That battle was truly earth-shattering.”
Po Wang said with a sigh.
As for the other treasure, whether it still existed or not, it was the one ranked first.
“Is it that thing on the Heavenly Track?” Chen Xiao asked.
“Who else but him? Who knows what that thing is? It suddenly appeared and kept stealing the life imprints of living beings. Even from the moment it appeared, it was already a terrifying existence that controlled the laws of life and death.” Po Wang shook his head. “I was lucky enough to escape that calamity and became the only surviving being in the world. Naturally, I inherited the Dao… My last battle with him was a hundred thousand so-called chaos calamities ago. At that time, we were evenly matched… Unfortunately, he used the Heavenly Track as a weapon, and I couldn’t resist at all. He scattered my body and soul. I only managed to retain a sliver of consciousness relying on some traces of my existence and deep-seated obsession. That’s why I came up with the idea of refining the Heavenly Marks to fight against him.”
Chen Xiao understood. In a world full of countless living beings, only Po Wang survived. It was easy to imagine just how terrifying his hatred must be.
“Sigh, you already know what you need to know. As for the rest, you can figure it out by using the Gate of All Wonders…”

Po Wan said, and immediately, his thoughts moved again as three tangible runes slowly flew out from the Mirror of Reincarnation. These three tangible runes were actually emotion runes, representing attachment, guilt, and shame respectively. They quickly circled around Chen Xiao’s body before being drawn by the twelve runes in his sea of consciousness and entering it. The original twelve emotion runes shifted slightly, with the rune of love at the center and the other fourteen forming a perfect circle around it. Chen Xiao’s path of emotions was centered on love; every emotion was based on love, even these three foreign ones. Chen Xiao’s love included love for family, friends, and romance. As for Po Wan suddenly creating three emotion runes and giving them to him, Chen Xiao wasn’t surprised. In his eyes, Po Wan was already a true expert, with a deeper understanding of the Dao than he did. Previously, Chen Xiao had subdued him because he had been abandoned by the Dao; Chen Xiao then used sharp words to shatter his resolve, causing his inner fire to consume him. If it were just a matter of strength, even a hundred Chen Xios combined might not be a match for Po Wan. “Thank you, fellow Daoist,” Chen Xiao said with a smile. Hearing Chen Xiao refer to him as a fellow Daoist, Po Wan’s face showed a hint of excitement—it was an acknowledgment of him. “Remember one thing: the Dao lacks nineteen. Although there are countless emotions, the number of emotion runes you can comprehend should not exceed nineteen… Otherwise, the Dao will be incomplete, and you will truly become part of the Dao, losing any independent existence for your thoughts and emotions.”