Chapter 416: Five-Colored Divine Light!
The mysterious seal drifted downward, hovering before Jiang Chen. It radiated a distinct sense of familiarity, like an old friend unseen for years.
Pulling his focus from his dantian, Jiang Chen eyed it with furrowed brows. “What is this?”
With a sharp whoosh, the seal dissolved into a wisp of cool energy that pierced his forehead. It seeped through his flesh and blood, finally manifesting its true form within his dantian.
Its base was a dark, circular Profound Seal the size of a lotus seed, shimmering with a chaotic luster that felt neither born nor destroyed.
Orbiting its perimeter were five hair-thin streams of light: metallic white, wooden green, watery blue, fiery red, and earthen yellow. They cycled in an endless, high-speed loop of generation and restraint—feeding into and devouring one another before ultimately converging into the Profound Seal.
Embedded at its very core was a miniature Chaos Dao Seed, lying dormant as if waiting for the perfect opportunity.
The Profound Seal and his Golden Core resonated across the vast expanse of his dantian, vying for brilliance like the sun and the moon.
Stimulated by this new presence, his already surging Five Elements Magic Power violently expanded, instantly doubling in volume.
This meant that, despite only being at the early Golden Core stage, the Profound Seal granted him the Magic Power density and destructive might of a middle Golden Core cultivator.
A sudden epiphany struck Jiang Chen. I formed a once-in-a-millennium Heavenly-Grade Golden Core. This Profound Seal is the heaven and earth’s acknowledgment of my survival through the lightning tribulation.A Human-Grade Golden Core was the lowest tier, only allowing a cultivator to Awaken their Divine Sense.
An Earth-Grade Golden Core was superior, Awakening both Divine Sense and innate supernatural abilities.
But a Heavenly-Grade Golden Core was a myth seen only once a millennium. For such a core, Divine Sense and supernatural abilities were mere baseline perks. The true prize was this Profound Seal—a physical manifestation of the world’s fundamental laws.
The Golden Core acted as the power source, while the Profound Seal served as the operational pivot.
When ordinary cultivators reached the Golden Core stage, their Magic Power and spells simply hit harder, carrying only the faintest trace of worldly laws.
But possessing a Profound Seal changed the very nature of reality. Every ounce of Magic Power, every attack, and every subtle manipulation was now permanently enchanted with the fundamental laws of the universe.
His Metal Magic Power now carried the law of Armor Penetration.
His Wood Magic Power carried Growth.
His Water Magic Power carried Permeation.
His Fire Magic Power carried Explosion.
His Earth Magic Power carried Heavy Pressure.
For instance, channeling Metal would actively draw upon the ambient “Geng Metal Law” of heaven and earth, passively boosting his Magic Power output by thirty percent. A single slash wouldn’t just sever physical matter; it would tear apart the very spell structures woven by Earth-Grade and Human-Grade Golden Core cultivators.
This was dimensional suppression—crushing opponents from a higher plane of existence. The implications were utterly terrifying.
Furthermore, the Profound Seal acted as a massive amplifier.
Upon reaching the Golden Core stage, Jiang Chen could naturally manipulate the earth energy within a thirty-mile radius. With the Profound Seal’s amplification, that range instantly expanded to sixty miles—without costing a single extra drop of energy.
This is practically cheating, he mused.
His Five Elements spiritual energy had now fully evolved into chaotic Magic Power.
His spiritual sense had metamorphosed into Divine Sense, its range and precision reaching horrifying new heights.
That left only one final reward to inspect: his Awakened supernatural abilities.
If an Earth-Grade Golden Core granted them, a Heavenly-Grade Golden Core would certainly provide something extraordinary.
Jiang Chen focused his mind inward. His Spirit Root suddenly trembled, projecting four distinct imprints into his consciousness.
The first swirled with azure, yellow, crimson, black, and white light.
It was named: Five-Colored Divine Light.
The second writhed with the silhouettes of billions of insects.
It was named: Myriad Bug Broodmother.
The third churned like a vortex of water wrapped in cloud patterns.
It was named: Calling Wind and Summoning Rain.
The fourth constantly shifted and morphed into endless shapes.
It was named: Thousand Mechanisms Myriad Transformations.
Jiang Chen drew a sharp breath. Four supernatural abilities.
Initially, he would have been satisfied with just one or two.
To receive four at once was staggering, but what truly mattered was how perfectly they synergized with his existing foundation.
His Five Elements Spirit Root corresponded to the Five-Colored Divine Light.
Thousand Mechanisms Myriad Transformations perfectly complemented his puppetry and artifact refining skills.
The Myriad Bug Broodmother aligned flawlessly with his Myriad Insects Secret Record and the Dragon-Transformed Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother.
Calling Wind and Summoning Rain enhanced his weather manipulation, the Major Rain Spell, and his Flood Dragon Transformation.
“Mei’er?”
“Mei’er!”
“You… who are you!?”
A hoarse voice shattered the silence. Wu Lao, who had previously passed out, finally regained consciousness. When his blurry vision cleared, he didn’t see his granddaughter, Xiao Mei’er. Instead, an unfamiliar male cultivator stood before him. Panic and suspicion instantly gripped the old man’s face.
Jiang Chen cast a sidelong glance at him. “The one who underwent the Tribulation,” he replied, his tone flat.
Wu Lao froze. As the realization hit him, his features twisted into a mask of pure malice. “No wonder Mei’er’s lightning tribulation was so apocalyptic… You were the one truly undergoing the Tribulation!”
Jiang Chen’s lips curled into a cold grin. “I have your granddaughter to thank. She was kind enough to block the first two lightning strikes for me.”
Wu Lao’s eyes bulged with bloodshot fury. Scrambling up from the scorched earth, he lunged forward like a vengeful ghoul. “I’ll make you pay for Mei’er’s life!”
Jiang Chen didn’t even blink. He casually raised a hand and flicked his wrist. “Five-Colored Divine Light.”
Swish!
Five brilliant colors erupted, streaking across the sky like a cosmic ribbon.
The first sweep washed over Wu Lao, and his Spirit Root instantly dimmed into nothingness.
The second sweep obliterated his Golden Core, shattering it into dust.
The third sweep erased his physical form, reducing his flesh and blood to a mangled ruin.
The fourth sweep wiped away his very soul.
By the fifth sweep, Wu Lao was entirely erased from existence, his Dao extinguished forever.
Jiang Chen slowly shook his head, his expression utterly detached. “Overestimating yourself.”
With a beckoning gesture, he pulled Wu Lao’s Storage Ring into his grasp. A gentle brush of the Five-Colored Divine Light effortlessly wiped away the dead man’s spiritual imprint. Sweeping his Divine Sense inside, Jiang Chen took inventory of his new loot.
He had to admit, the old man was loaded.
Not only did the ring hold tens of thousands of Mid-grade Spirit Stones, but it also contained several thousand high-grade Spirit Stones.
While there weren’t many Spirit Weapons, the sheer volume of mid-to-high-tier spirit talismans was staggering.
However, the item that truly piqued Jiang Chen’s curiosity was a mask.
At first glance, it looked incredibly ordinary—a simple half-mask meant to cover the nose and mouth. It radiated no spiritual energy and possessed no discernible special traits.
Yet, the very fact that Wu Lao had stored such a mundane object in his Storage Ring was highly suspicious. In the cultivation world, the more unremarkable something appeared in a master’s vault, the more dangerous it usually was.
Jiang Chen had a vague suspicion about its origins, but his hyper-logical mind quickly dismissed it. I just want to farm and build my wealth. I don’t care about other people’s drama, and I certainly don’t plan on getting involved.
Stowing the ring, he turned to leave. Yet, as he did, he noticed the fake ancestor was still standing exactly where it had been. It hadn’t vanished, nor had it made a single hostile move.
It simply stared at him, an inexplicable light shimmering in its ancient eyes.
Jiang Chen paused, his mind racing with calculations, before taking a few measured steps forward. “Do you need something from me?”
The fake ancestor offered a half-smile. “You are indeed different.”
Jiang Chen blinked, keeping his face perfectly neutral while his thoughts spun. The real ancestor is still trapped in some isolated spatial pocket. With my new Divine Sense, I can feel him right now.
Breaking the silence, the fake ancestor spoke again. “Young man, how about we make a deal?”
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. “A deal?”
“Take me with you!” the fake ancestor blurted out.
Jiang Chen was taken aback. His eyes narrowed as he weighed the risks and benefits. “Well, that depends…”
The fake ancestor’s expression turned playful. “Without me, you won’t be able to leave Dream Island so easily.”
Jiang Chen frowned. “What exactly are you?”
The fake ancestor raised its head, its gaze piercing through the veil of reality. “The small are called clams; the great are called mirages. Mortals call me the Shadow Spirit Platform, but my true name… is the Mirage Dragon.”
Jiang Chen’s expression shifted. “A Mirage Dragon?”
That was a creature of absolute myth.
So, this was the truth behind Dream Island.
The fake ancestor, one of the Mirage Dragon’s avatars, gazed at him with eyes that seemed to see through everything, meaningfully stating, “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t assume that keeping a low profile can hide your strength. Your aura, fluctuations, and abilities cannot be concealed.”
Jiang Chen took a deep breath, puzzled. “Even so, why do you want to come with me?”
The Mirage Dragon didn’t hide the truth, speaking frankly, “Originally, I transformed into Dream Island to fish in the Canglan Sea. I never expected the Yellow Springs Alliance to kill the dragon vein here, causing me to be… trapped!”