Chereads / Heaven Abyss / Chapter 4 - Rebuild the foundation and having an air of mystical elegance

Chapter 4 - Rebuild the foundation and having an air of mystical elegance

"How should I address you, senior?"Chen Qingyuan tactfully did not pursue the matter further.

"Young master, just call me the Cripple," the old man said calmly, looking down at his broken right leg and the crutch in his hand.

"How could I do that?" Chen Qingyuan dared not address such a mysterious senior as 'Cripple' - it might easily offend him.

"It doesn't matter," the old man was indifferent, his face expressionless.

Next, the old man arranged a living space for Chen Qingyuan, telling him to stay for a while as he needed to go out and prepare some things to reconstruct Chen Qingyuan's Dao foundation.

"Thank you for your trouble, senior," Chen Qingyuan clasped his hands and said.

"This is what I should do," the old man returned the gesture, bowed, and then turned and left.

The courtyard was cluttered. Chen Qingyuan looked around, seeing spider webs in the corner, yellowed withered leaves in the flower bed, and stone slabs laid on the yellow earth. Following the stone path, he saw a woodshed filled with dry firewood.

"Strange," Chen Qingyuan muttered to himself: "Why does this senior live just like an ordinary person?" Upon observation, everything in the courtyard was mundane - wooden tables and chairs, dust everywhere.

After glancing at the woodshed, Chen Qingyuan walked to the other side. Compared to the simple woodshed, he preferred to stroll in the garden, which was more pleasing to the eye.

Now a mortal, Chen Qingyuan needed to buy food daily. Having lived here for ten days, he had become familiar with the nearby streets.

The autumn wind was chilly, and as the cold crept in, Chen Qingyuan decided to cook some porridge to warm himself. Entering the woodshed to start a fire, he discovered a chopping sword among the firewood, which immediately piqued his interest.

"What is this..." The broken sword was about two feet long, rusted and dark, bearing the marks of time everywhere. Chen Qingyuan examined it carefully, sensing something unusual about it but unable to pinpoint exactly what.

Chen Qingyuan crouched down and reached for the black broken sword on the ground. The moment his fingertips touched it, his body suddenly felt heavy, as if countless mountains were pressing on his chest, leaving him breathless. The feeling grew stronger, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Just as Chen Qingyuan was about to use his trump card from the Heavenly Abyss Forbidden Zone, a breeze blew into the woodshed. Instantly, the pressure from the black broken sword vanished, and Chen Qingyuan withdrew his hand, his expression tense.

"Young master, I have returned," at the same time, the old man entered the courtyard with his crutch, his hands empty.

Chen Qingyuan walked out of the woodshed and met the old man's gaze directly. "Thanks to your intervention just now, senior, or I would have been in trouble," he said frankly.

"A mere broken sword couldn't harm you, young master," the old man's wrinkled face broke into a slight smile.

"If this is just a broken sword, then there wouldn't be any precious swords in this world," Chen Qingyuan, though having lost his cultivation, could still sense how terrifying the black broken sword was.

"Young master is joking," the old man replied. If just a sword was this powerful, how strong must its owner be?

"Did your trip yield any results, senior?" Chen Qingyuan changed the subject, not pursuing the matter further.

"Rest assured, young master. Everything is arranged," the old man nodded slowly.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Back in the Heavenly Abyss Forbidden Zone, Chen Qingyuan encountered a mysterious red-clothed maiden whose origins were enigmatic and whose power was unfathomable.

The red-clothed maiden severed Chen Qingyuan's spiritual root and scattered his cultivation. Then, she gave Chen Qingyuan a wooden token, instructing him to find an old man after leaving the forbidden zone who could help him reconstruct his Dao foundation and elevate his natural talents to a higher level.

The old man opened a room sealed for many years, inside which was a bath made of ice stone, with cold air permeating every corner of the chamber.

After gathering various medicinal herbs and necessary items, the old man told Chen Qingyuan to remove his upper garment and sit cross-legged in the ice bath.

Following the old man's instructions, Chen Qingyuan sat calmly in the ice bath.

"I recently heard a piece of news," the old man said in a hoarse voice while preparing the herbs, "that the Eastern Yi Palace and the Heavenly Jade Sect are about to form an alliance. Does young master know about this?"

"I know," Chen Qingyuan nodded lightly.

"Does senior need me to do anything?"

During his recent trip, the old man had thoroughly investigated Chen Qingyuan's background. Moreover, he had also visited the boundary of the Heavenly Abyss Forbidden Land.

"No need," Chen Qingyuan shook his head. "The karmic ties have been severed. Senior need not trouble himself."

"Very well," the old man placed various precious medicinal herbs into the ice bath, his cloudy eyes seeming to see through the world's mysteries.

Chen Qingyuan looked at these herbs in astonishment.

"A touch of red cloud, eight-cornered mysterious leaves, white moon vine..."

A casual glance revealed extremely rare and precious medicines, almost impossible to obtain. There were even some rare herbs that Chen Qingyuan couldn't name but knew were incredibly valuable.

"Young master, reconstructing your foundation might be somewhat painful," the old man kindly warned.

"Senior, proceed as you see fit. I can endure," Chen Qingyuan nodded firmly, fully prepared.

Then, an oceanic surge of spiritual energy began to flow from the old man's body. The chamber's floor flickered with light, and an ancient formation of Dao patterns emerged.

Immediately after, the old man struck the ice bath with his right palm while activating the grand formation with his left.

Boom—

Above the chamber, it seemed thousands of stars appeared, spreading an infinite starry sea. Instantly, Chen Qingyuan felt the world spinning, his body immobilized.

As time passed, Chen Qingyuan even felt his soul leaving his body, being sliced by countless small knives, the pain unbearable, causing him to let out a muffled groan.

Chen Qingyuan gritted his teeth, drenched in sweat. The pain intensified, gradually challenging his ability to maintain his consciousness.

The old man continued without stopping, coldly watching Chen Qingyuan suffering.

After a full hour, Chen Qingyuan's face was grotesque, his skin splitting open, his flesh a bloody mess. If observed carefully, one could see his internal organs through the torn flesh, a horrifying sight.

A strand of golden light appeared at Chen Qingyuan's chest, like a seed.

"The moment has arrived," the old man's expression changed, hurrying to the next step.

Dense cold air enveloped Chen Qingyuan, his blood mixing with the medicinal herbs, forming a thick, crimson liquid that would make anyone's hair stand on end.

"Manifest!"

The old man formed a hand seal, and a black box appeared before him.

Carefully opening the box, it contained a bone fragment.

About a foot long, the black bone looked like charcoal.

"Can he withstand this?"​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The old man glanced at Chen Qingyuan, who had passed out from pain, then slowly shifted his gaze to the black bone in the box, muttering to himself.

According to the old man's knowledge, this black bone was the Dao bone of an ancient being who had fallen during a world-shaking battle, with only this fragment remaining.

Not long ago, he had gone to the Heavenly Abyss Forbidden Zone following the red-clothed maiden's instructions and brought the black bone back.

Reconstructing the foundation was not difficult, but implanting the black bone into Chen Qingyuan's body was the real challenge.

"Can this really work?"

At first, the old man was perplexed, unsure how to proceed.

Later, the red-clothed maiden sent a message, instructing him to simply activate the Dao formation. Once a golden seed appeared on Chen Qingyuan's chest, he could extract the black bone - everything was predestined.

After a moment, the black bone began to float.

"Whoosh!"

The surface layer of the black bone fell away, revealing a pure golden color, etched with ancient laws that had weathered countless ages.

The old man's pupils contracted, his entire body tense, watching the black bone descend onto Chen Qingyuan.

Slowly, the black bone directly merged into Chen Qingyuan's body and disappeared without a trace. No matter how the old man tried to investigate, he could not detect it.

"Truly an extraordinary person."

The initial rejection between Chen Qingyuan and the black bone quickly disappeared, achieving perfect integration and becoming one.

Several days later, Chen Qingyuan awoke.

The old man had been guarding him the entire time, afraid something might go wrong.

Seeing Chen Qingyuan regain consciousness, the massive stone in the old man's heart finally dropped.

"My body..." Chen Qingyuan felt no pain, sensing his body was incredibly light and without any wounds.

The next moment, he detected the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, his expression changing as he quickly began examining his body's condition.

"A golden Dao bone?"

Chen Qingyuan was extremely surprised, both shocked and delighted, raising his head to meet the old man's gaze.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​