The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn is a profound secret art for cultivating the soul. As the state religion of the Great Li, this secret art has an exceptionally deep understanding of the essence of the soul.

The Heaven Soul and Earth Soul often wander outside the body, while only the Life Soul resides within.

When the Heaven Soul, Earth Soul, and Life Soul come together, it is called the "Three Souls Convergence."

However, achieving the "Three Souls Convergence" is extremely difficult. Even for cultivators, they cannot actively control the convergence of the three souls; the Heaven and Earth Souls can only occasionally sense the Life Soul.

To truly achieve the "Three Souls Convergence," where the souls become one, requires an extremely high level of cultivation.

Zhao Xing was cultivating the introductory section of The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn, strengthening his Life Soul, which was akin to refining it.

Though he hadn't yet started cultivating the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul, his connection with them was also growing stronger.

After realizing his mind was unsettled, Zhao Xing quickly determined that it was due to his Life Soul being stirred by the Earth Soul.

Upon cultivating the introductory section, Zhao Xing closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep in the carriage, his breathing becoming calm and steady.

Soon, he entered a dream.

"Buzz~"

In the dream, Zhao Xing saw a carriage.

"A Purple-Horned Horse pulling the carriage? Brother Shen, you've really made it big now, with such a ride."

"Don't mock me; this is just a breed with a bit of exotic beast bloodline."

The carriage was traveling along the official road outside the city, a perfect reproduction of Zhao Xing's memory, including his conversation with Shen Zhui from yesterday, down to every detail.

"This is the Dream Storage Technique."

"It perfectly replicates every detail, preserving it in the dream."

"From here, Shen Zhui and I leave the city, heading towards Anping Town."

Zhao Xing quietly observed.

This was not just an omniscient perspective; the emotions were the same too.

For instance, the teasing mood when Zhao Xing joked with Shen Zhui, the happiness during their conversation, the relaxation when stroking the cat, and the tranquility felt when seeing farmers working in the fields upon arriving at Anping Town.

"Through the Dream Storage Technique, you can revisit every memory. Emotions are just the surface; even the most profound insights can be relived."

Zhao Xing used the Dream Storage Technique to search for the cause of his unease. If the Earth Soul was truly stirred, he would be able to feel it again.

"Brother Zhao, hurry up!"

"What's the rush?"

This was when Zhao Xing cast a spell, controlling the East Lake Pearl to absorb the clouds and rain above Anping Town.

Through the Dream Storage Technique, Zhao Xing could relive even the feeling of casting the spell.

Then came the visit to the town chief's house, learning about Huang Silang, heading to the Niu family's estate, encountering Huang Silang, and then grabbing him to work in the fields...

During this entire process, Zhao Xing still didn't sense anything out of place.

He passed a peaceful night, and the next day.

Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui heard that Huang Silang had gone gambling again. They rushed to the Niu family estate, arriving just as Niu Gui opened the door...

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing suddenly sensed a faint anomaly.

"Did it start here?"

"The Niu family estate, is it the estate itself, or Niu Gui?"

After entering the gate, Shen Zhui split the gambling table.

Huang Silang woke up and tried to escape through the back door, but Shen Zhui blocked him, while Zhao Xing turned his attention to the farmhands...

In the dream, a middle-aged man with prominent cheekbones spoke to Zhao Xing, while beside him stood a woman with a barrel-like waist.

Throughout the entire process, the strange feeling intensified.

After leaving the estate, the feeling gradually faded, and after walking some distance, it disappeared completely.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Xing repeatedly relived the dream, and finally realized that the peak of the anomaly occurred at this moment:   "I am Chen Deshun, this is my humble wife, Wu Chen."

When the middle-aged man finished saying this, the strange feeling reached its peak, then slowly subsided.

Although the overall feeling was vague and difficult to identify, Zhao Xing's Life Soul had touched upon the Earth Soul wandering outside.

Upon careful comparison, it became clear.

After revisiting the memory several times, Zhao Xing found that the abnormal stirrings of the Earth Soul had already started when they arrived in Anping Town.

"If the disturbance of the Earth Soul upon leaving the city and arriving at Anping Town was normal, we can set that as level one."

"On the first day, when we encountered Huang Silang outside the Niu family estate, that would be level 1.1."

"On the second day, entering the Niu family estate and meeting Niu Gui, it reached 1.5."

"And when speaking with that farmhand, it rose to level 2."

Zhao Xing compared the sensations.

He waved his hand.

"Buzz~"

The dream scene changed, rewinding to the moment just before entering the Niu family estate.

This time, Zhao Xing immersed himself in the scene, reliving it from a first-person perspective.

He activated the Dream Storage Technique's Dream Deduction.

"Niu Gui, will you let us in?" Zhao Xing asked, "Now that we're here, we're just looking around casually. But once we have an official warrant, it won't be as simple."

"Alright, sirs, please come in."

Upon entering the estate, Zhao Xing didn't wait for Shen Zhui to act. He immediately looked at the group of farmhands squatting outside the hall.

At the same time, he locked onto the middle-aged couple.

"Lightning Chain!"

Without a word, Zhao Xing's palm emitted lightning, swiftly forming a rope of thunder, locking onto the couple.

"Brother Zhao, what are you doing?" Shen Zhui was startled.

The couple, who had appeared simple and honest, were bewildered when bound.

"Thunder Palm!"

Zhao Xing followed up with another thunder technique, striking down.

"Kill!" The couple, who had seemed plain and harmless, suddenly revealed hideous expressions. A blood-colored figure burst forth from their bodies, covered with countless twisted arms and heads, as if numerous fleshly bodies had fused together, exploding violently as it charged at Zhao Xing.

"Boom!"

The entire Niu family estate was engulfed in the blood light, swallowing everything whole.

"Ah!"

The dream shattered abruptly, and Zhao Xing's Life Soul felt a pang of fear, waking him from the dream.

"Meow!" Sensing its master's distress, the mountain cat arched its back, fur bristling as if it were facing a life-threatening danger.

"Brother Zhao, what's wrong?" Shen Zhui was startled, seeing Zhao Xing's face pale, with not a hint of color, his energy severely weakened.

"I had a nightmare." Zhao Xing wiped the sweat from his forehead with a smile, "Maybe it's just exhaustion from the past few days."

"Nightmare?" Shen Zhui was puzzled. What kind of nightmare could cause such a reaction?

"I dreamed that my father was ill," Zhao Xing said. "Brother Shen, I'm worried about my family. Let's leave Huang Silang for now. Just give some instructions to the town chief, and let's head back to the city."

"Alright." Although Shen Zhui felt somewhat suspicious, he didn't press further. Ending the Anping Town trip early due to a dream was understandable, since Zhao Xing mentioned his family.

"Hyah~" The carriage turned around, heading back to Gu City.

At the Niu family estate, Chen Deshun, the hall master of Sanwan Hall under an alias, and the vice hall master were working in the Niu family's fields with the farmhands, starting their afternoon labor.

Suddenly—

A flash of red appeared in Chen Deshun's eyes, and a wave of unease hit him.

"Hmm?"

Chen Deshun's expression changed, a look of confusion in his eyes.

The woman beside him also paused, the two exchanging glances before making an excuse to leave, retreating to the shade of a nearby pagoda tree.

"Did you sense it?" Chen Deshun asked the woman.

"Yes." The woman nodded gravely. "What's going on? Why did the Venerable One send a warning?"

"Could it be that the god from Gu City's temple was patrolling and triggered the warning?"

"I don't know." Chen Deshun's face darkened. "We should ask the Guardian when we return. In the meantime, we must reinforce our protections."

"Will you do it, or should I?" the woman asked.

"I'll handle it," Chen Deshun replied. "My cultivation is higher, I can bear it."

"Alright."

Facing the pagoda tree, Chen Deshun quietly loosened his robe, then pricked his chest with a finger, revealing scarlet blood.

The blood didn't drip but instead flowed over his abdomen, forming a pattern.

His eyes became vacant, pupils losing focus, as the pattern slowly condensed into a ghostly face, and his eyes turned blood-red.

A twisted, blood-colored face appeared on his abdomen.

The woman immediately knelt down, placing her hands on his waist, sucking the blood from his abdomen.

After a moment, all the blood disappeared, and Chen Deshun returned to normal.

"Cough, cough... Why so much this time?" Chen Deshun's face was pale.

"I think we should leave Anping Town," the woman said as she stood. "This place is no longer safe."

"Alright, I'll let the Niu family know."

"Da, da, da~"

After entering the city, Zhao Xing let out a long breath in the carriage.

When he used the Dream Storage Technique in Anping Town, his Life Soul sensed a stirring from the Earth Soul, which brought a sense of dread, as though something was watching him.

But it quickly disappeared, leaving Zhao Xing unwilling to linger, let alone return to the Niu family to investigate further. Instead, he hurried back to the city.

"Could this feeling be a remnant of the evil god from the Xuantian Sect?" Zhao Xing recalled the Xuantian Sect's methods. Whenever they stirred up trouble in Da Zhou, they always brought an image of the evil god, with a Yin God avatar hidden inside.

It was just like when he encountered Meng Yun carrying the East Lake Lord's avatar during his search for the river fishermen.

In his previous life, Zhao Xing had once joined the Xuantian Sect, so he was very familiar with their ways. To avoid detection, they always used such means, along with the Xuantian Sect's concealment techniques.

He hadn't expected that by using the Dream Storage Technique to sense the Earth Soul, he would actually discover something.

"The Great Dream of Spring and Autumn truly lives up to being a top-tier technique. I've only just begun and can already perceive anomalies through the cause-and-effect of the soul."

"That middle-aged couple definitely has a problem!"

"And they aren't just ordinary believers! They're at least at the hall master level!"

Believers, because they were simply brainwashed, didn't practice the Xuantian Sect's evil arts and couldn't have a Yin God attached to them.

Only hall masters, who carried out missions, would have a Yin God attached.

What to do about this situation?

Of course, he wouldn't handle it himself.

After returning to the city, Zhao Xing immediately reported the situation to Old Chen.

Chen Shijie, seeing Zhao Xing's rushed return, was puzzled. "What's going on? Why do you look so pale?"

"I believe I've detected traces of the Xuantian Sect."

Chen Shijie's expression grew serious. "What's the situation? Explain carefully."

Zhao Xing replied, "I went to Anping Town to persuade the farmers and visited a local courtyard. I didn't notice anything at the time, but after leaving, I felt an inexplicable sense of unease."

Chen Shijie asked, "Did the Calamity-Repelling Almanac give any warnings?"

"No," Zhao Xing shook his head. "That's why I said I discovered traces of the Xuantian Sect, rather than just a believer."

Chen Shijie nodded. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible to detect anything. If it were a hall master-level person, the Calamity-Repelling Almanac wouldn't have given a warning.

Otherwise, the sect would have been eradicated by now and wouldn't still be a thorn in the government's side.

"Perhaps I absorbed too much spiritual energy from the mountain. Even my mountain cat sensed the unease. As soon as we left, it alerted me to the fact that there were two bad people in that courtyard." Zhao Xing attributed the discovery to the mountain cat.

"Meow~" The mountain cat lifted its head proudly, as if to say, 'Are you praising me?'

"I've drawn a picture of the two individuals from memory..." Zhao Xing handed over the sketch he had made.

Chen Shijie glanced at the drawing, then put it away.

"You don't need to concern yourself with this matter. I'll send someone to investigate these two individuals."

After a pause, Chen Shijie added, "For now, it's just suspicion, so don't mention this to anyone. One, we don't want to alert them, and two, it's best you avoid unnecessary trouble."

"I understand." Zhao Xing nodded. He trusted Old Chen enough to report the situation. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have even bothered to come up with an excuse.

Otherwise, what if someone thought the mountain cat was extraordinary and wanted to borrow it?

Thus, Zhao Xing had been careful with his words, using terms like 'suspected' and 'possibly.'

Old Chen's attitude was considerate, too, thinking about Zhao Xing's well-being.

Whether or not this would result in credit didn't matter. Zhao Xing believed Old Chen would handle things and keep him out of the spotlight.

As for whether Old Chen believed him or how he would use the information, Zhao Xing didn't concern himself with that.

His shoulders were too young to bear such burdens; big matters required Old Chen to take the lead.

The day after returning to the city, on the last day of September, good news arrived from Zong Shichang's side: the Dao Transmission Paintings had been secured.

Zhao Xing hurried to the Zong residence, where he met Zong Shichang and Steward Tang.

"Young Master Zong, did you secure the Dao Transmission Paintings?"

Zong Shichang waved his hand nonchalantly, "As long as money can solve it, there's nothing I can't get. They're here! Uncle Tang."

Steward Tang brought out several long boxes.

Zong Shichang patted the boxes, "A total of four Dao Transmission Paintings."

"One of them is the one I promised you, so you don't need to pay for it."

"The other two were procured by Lu Qian for you, and the payment has already been settled."

"As for the last one, you'll need to pay for it."

Without hesitation, Zhao Xing asked, "How much?"

Zong Shichang replied, "This fourth-grade high-quality painting from the Dili Sect was purchased from the Cao family, unopened, and can still be comprehended four times. I'm not making a profit off you. The original price is 3,200 taels, so you'll pay 3,200."

"Deal." Zhao Xing found the price steep but reasonable. After selling some treasures, he had close to 4,000 taels in liquid assets and paid immediately.

As for the other three paintings, they had been purchased using his earnings from selling war songs and poems, so no extra money was required.

After Steward Tang collected the banknotes and left, Zong Shichang and Zhao Xing continued chatting privately.

"Lu Qian asked me to pass along a message. She said these two paintings aren't enough to repay your kindness and promised to find another fourth-grade painting for you. Brother Zhao, you've got to tell me, how did you manage to win over that fiery girl?"

"When she talks about you, her eyes are filled with such tenderness, haha."

Zong Shichang was thoroughly impressed with Zhao Xing. To win over Lu Qian? A feat only a god could accomplish!

"Don't get the wrong idea." Zhao Xing explained, "It's more like a meeting of kindred spirits. She appreciates art."

"Ah, I see. I guess I should start studying some serious art too." Zong Shichang seemed deep in thought.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Now, let me borrow a quiet place to meditate on the paintings."

"Sure, pick any room you like in the Ting Shui Pavilion," Zong Shichang gestured to the mountain cat, "Mind if I borrow this little guy for some petting?"

"Sure, just give it some food."

"No problem, I've got plenty of yellowtail fish stocked up. It'll be well-fed!"

Zhao Xing rolled up the boxes and found a quiet room in the Zong residence. He carefully placed the boxes down.

"Fourth-grade Dao Transmission Paintings... I've seen one before in my master's study. That copy of the 'Ten Thousand Things Growth Chart' only had one opportunity, but it allowed me to comprehend both Wild Growth and Earth Vein Consolidation."

"Back then, my techniques were still quite basic. Now, most of them have reached the ninth level, with some even maxed out." Zhao Xing's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Dao Transmission Paintings vary in the insights they offer depending on the viewer's cultivation level.

The less one has accumulated, the less one gains.

The more one has accumulated, the greater the harvest!

"Hopefully, I can achieve a breakthrough this time."

Zhao Xing took a deep breath and opened the first box, drawing out the painting from its scroll.