Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit
Chapter 159 - 128 Real or Fake Lord?【Vote for monthly ticket!】

Chapter 159: Chapter 128 Real or Fake Lord?【Vote for monthly ticket!】

Dawn is approaching.

The stars are fading.

Chen Jichuan wandered around Hidden Peach Valley with Little Dream Fox but didn’t find anything suspicious.

Without delay, he left Hidden Peach Valley and headed straight for the Water Mansion.

Little Dream Fox seemed quite adept in water.

It swam around tirelessly, continuing to put effort into its search.

This time.

Little Dream Fox seemed to have discovered something and led Chen Jichuan to a dense patch of aquatic grass. With its little paws paddling furiously, it dove straight into the vegetation.

Chen Jichuan followed behind.

He entered the patch as well.

They kept diving deeper for around a quarter of an hour, twisting and turning countless times. Who knows where they ended up? It was only at this moment that he realized this aquatic grass patch hid another world!

"This place—"

Chen Jichuan’s eyes widened as an enormous palace complex emerged before him.

It resembled an earthly imperial palace, complete with city walls and grand halls.

But the walls were crumbled, and the halls were in ruins, leaving behind nothing but broken remnants.

"I didn’t expect the Water Mansion Secret Realm to have hidden this earthly domain."

Chen Jichuan’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

He swam forward with effort.

The moment he entered, it felt as if he was inside a bubble; the lake water was entirely repelled. Here, Chen Jichuan could breathe freely as if he had returned to dry land.

He walked around, realizing the scale of this place was indeed massive—larger than the newly completed ’Wu Meng City’ constructed by the Martial Alliance.

Little Dream Fox hopped up and down, occasionally fishing out luminous pearls or pieces of Spirit Stones from the broken rubble.

Sometimes, it would even exert great effort to pull out fragments of weapons from narrow gaps.

Then, it would trot over to Chen Jichuan with its treasures, panting heavily from exhaustion.

Chen Jichuan examined each item carefully.

They were merely ordinary treasures, containing at most a faint trace of Spiritual Energy, making them slightly unusual compared to mundane objects. The Spirit Stones, however, were the Standard Spirit Stones of the Jade Spring World, their Spiritual Energy content slightly higher than that of Black Prison Spirit Stones by three to five percent.

Still, they were nothing extraordinary.

As Little Dream Fox busied itself up and down, Chen Jichuan surveyed the surroundings. It was clear that anything of value here had already been taken away. Despite the palace ruins, there were no signs of corpses, showing that its residents had evacuated before the collapse.

"Could it be that they foresaw the danger ahead of time?"

Chen Jichuan couldn’t make sense of it.

At this moment.

Little Dream Fox called out to him and tugged at his pant leg, leading him to a shattered stone stele.

The stele had fractured into over ten pieces, with some pieces missing entirely, leaving gaps in the text.

Luckily, it was still intelligible.

"...Heaven and Earth like a sea, Spiritual Energy like tides..."

"All beings..."

"...Action futile, Lord decides migration..."

"Alas! Regrettable! Thousands of years..."

Chen Jichuan crouched down, scrutinizing each piece.

His gaze grew sharper, and a long-standing question in his heart finally unraveled.

"I see now."

"This place is the true core of Lishui Water Mansion."

"And as the stele describes, the Spiritual Energy of this realm ebbs and flows like seawater—sometimes surging during Spiritual Energy recovery periods, igniting an age of cultivation; other times receding during End of Dharma periods, rendering cultivation difficult, even hindering progress in Qi Refinement and the Innate Realm."

"The residents departed because the End of Dharma Era was imminent."

"To this day, who knows how many ages have passed, but this realm is on the precipice of a new Spiritual Energy resurgence."

Piecing together the stele fragments, the puzzle that had long eluded Chen Jichuan was resolved.

If the stele’s account is accurate.

Then they are now in the early stages of Spiritual Energy recovery, with the true flourishing cultivation age yet to come.

The stele did not mention how long it would take for this transition—from the early revival to the cultivation age.

If it’s just a decade or two, Chen Jichuan could wait.

But if it spans centuries, he wouldn’t have that luxury.

"Migration."

"Seeking a new home."

Chen Jichuan looked toward the stele’s final lines, which described how the Lishui Mansion Master led the disciples eastward in their quest to escape the End of Dharma Era.

No one knows whether their escape succeeded.

"If they did succeed and this lineage still exists, could they possibly return?"

This thought popped into Chen Jichuan’s mind.

However, he shook his head moments later: "Having escaped such peril at great cost, it’s highly unlikely they’d willingly come back."

After all, no one knows when this realm might once again fall into the End of Dharma era.

Kneeling there, pondering deeply.

Although one mystery was resolved, Chen Jichuan now faced even more questions.

For example, where did all the cultivators go during the End of Dharma period?

For instance, does a realm beyond Great Chu exist, like the Mysterious Nether Sea immortal cultivation world?

...

Without foresight, calamity is inevitable.

"Preparations must be made early!"

Chen Jichuan mused inwardly, deciding not to rush matters. He planned to examine everything in detail once he entered the Jade Spring World.

Standing upright.

He scanned the surroundings.

Ready to continue exploring this area.

Suddenly, he turned his gaze toward Little Dream Fox, which was crouched nearby, wiggling its rear as it struggled with something.

Chen Jichuan walked over and saw the tiny creature clutching a hexagonal deep blue crystal. It tugged with all its might but couldn’t budge the object.

Chen Jichuan narrowed his eyes for a closer look—

[Yu Guang Crystal Stone: The term ’Yu’ refers to the Universe, encompassing space. Yu Guang Crystal Stone contains space properties and can be refined into spatial Magical Treasures or used as a core for Transmission Arrays.]

"Yu Guang Crystal Stone?"

"Transmission Array?!"

Chen Jichuan froze.

Seeing Little Dream Fox still wrestling with the crystal, he swiftly grabbed it and lifted it away.

But it was too late.

A brilliant burst of light emanated from the crystal, forming a gentle force that pushed both Chen Jichuan and Little Dream Fox backward. Scattered bricks, walls, and columns were swept aside, clearing a thirty-zhang area.

Revealing a glowing array structure beneath.

Little Dream Fox realized it had caused trouble, shrinking nervously in Chen Jichuan’s grasp and shivering in fear.

Chen Jichuan ignored it and focused solely on the array—

[Array: Long-Distance Transmission Array]

[Description: Constructed by Lishui Water Mansion, capable of transporting individuals across tens of thousands of miles. However, due to its lower tier, it can hold a maximum of three people per use, and their cultivation must not exceed the Innate Realm.]

The Transmission Array had activated unexpectedly.

Chen Jichuan had initially been prepared to flee. But upon discerning the array’s particulars, he hesitated.

"Up to three people only?"

"At most, Innate Realm cultivation?"

Chen Jichuan’s eyes gleamed with calculation. He immediately set Little Dream Fox down and instructed, "Find a spot to hide."

"Woo~woo~"

Little Dream Fox responded softly, patted its tiny chest, and then scampered off to hide among the rubble.

Before long.

It peeked out a tiny head, cautiously watching Chen Jichuan from a distance.

"Heavenly Jade Emperor Venerable, sever one heaven plague path, cut two earth plague gates..."

Chen Jichuan wielded his Law Enforcement Sword in one hand and a Yellow Talisman in the other. Using Gang Step, he deployed the ’Heaven and Earth Net,’ completely enveloping the Transmission Array.

If anyone arrived, they’d immediately be trapped within the Heaven and Earth Net, unable to use their abilities.

Brilliance flickered.

Silence lingered.

Chen Jichuan activated Concealing Technique and hid nearby. He held the Yuanchen Sword in hand, ready for confrontation.

Moments later.

The light intensified and violently pulsated, revealing a figure—a young man clad in a Daoist robe—appearing within the array.

His attire was torn and disheveled, and his posture visibly unstable.

As soon as he landed.

He vigilantly activated a Golden Light Talisman for protection, scanning his surroundings cautiously. Spotting an expanse of ruins, his wariness slightly subsided.

Name: Hann Jin

Age: 27

Level: 10

Spirit Root: Water

Cultivation Technique: "Water Classics" (Tenth Layer)

Magic Skills: Water Mirror Technique, Water Escape Skill, Water Shield Skill, ...

...

"Level ten."

"Innate Extreme."

Chen Jichuan first noticed this individual’s cultivation.

At only twenty-seven years old, having attained Innate Extreme, this kind of talent would be considered top-tier even within the Jade Spring World.

He was stunned.

Then, his attention shifted to this young man named ’Hann Jin,’ who had also mastered the "Water Classics."

"Could he be a disciple of Lishui Water Mansion?"

Chen Jichuan studied this person.

After observing him exit the Transmission Array, Chen Jichuan deliberated briefly before stepping out himself, withdrawing his Concealing Technique.

"Who’s there!"

Startled, Hann Jin instinctively assumed a defensive stance but didn’t launch an attack.

Chen Jichuan cupped his hands toward Hann Jin and spoke boldly, "I am Chen Lin, Mansion Master of Lishui Water Mansion. May I know Fellow Daoist’s surname and place of origin?"

The fact that Hann Jin studied the "Water Classics" paired with Chen Jichuan’s position as Lishui Mansion Master suggested that they could very well be related.

Initially wary that the visitor might be hostile, Chen Jichuan had prepared for combat.

But upon seeing this person, he decided to shift tactics—opting to ’make connections’ over bloodshed.

He was keen on gathering information about the array’s destination and preferred a peaceful approach.

"Mansion Master of Lishui Water Mansion?"

At this, Hann Jin visibly relaxed. "Ah, a fellow sect member—scared me half to death."

The wisdom of Chen Jichuan’s decision became evident.

Hann Jin exhaled deeply, smiling as he cupped his hands in return. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am Hann Jin from Panlong Mountain Seven Emotions Marsh, also Mansion Master of Lishui Water Mansion."

"Panlong Mountain Seven Emotions Marsh?"

Chen Jichuan’s brows furrowed; he had no recollection of this site, deducing it wasn’t part of Great Chu.

He then heard Hann Jin claim the title of ’Lishui Mansion Master’ as well, prompting him to ask with a frown, "You’re also Mansion Master of Lishui Mansion? What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist?"

Though he outwardly questioned, Chen Jichuan inwardly believed him.

The stele fragments had already mentioned how Lishui’s original Mansion Master led a migration to escape the End of Dharma Era.

This Hann Jin, with the "Water Classics" cultivation and having arrived through this array, undoubtedly had deep ties to Lishui Water Mansion.

But Hann Jin’s claim of sharing the same title of Mansion Master left Chen Jichuan skeptical.

If the claim turned out to be genuine, then this ’Panlong Mountain Seven Emotions Marsh’ might not be a particularly prestigious site within the immortal realm.

If someone at Innate Extreme could serve as its leader, it probably wouldn’t be very high-tier.

Despite Chen Jichuan’s doubts, Hann Jin showed neither anger nor displeasure. Instead, he said, "Allow me to prove it, Fellow Daoist."

As he spoke.

Hann Jin’s figure flickered, and suddenly he manifested a perfect replica of himself.

The resemblance was so flawless it was impossible to discern the real from the duplicate with the naked eye. Only when Chen Jichuan used ’Insight Skill’ could he identify the true body.

Clearly, this was the ’Water Mirror Technique.’

Its mystical properties were evident.

But Hann Jin’s demonstration left Chen Jichuan baffled: "What’s the meaning of this—"

Was he flaunting his skills?

"Hmm?"

Chen Jichuan’s confused expression seemed to puzzle Hann Jin. "This is the ’Water Mirror Technique.’ Among the Water Mansion’s various magic, it ranks among the best. Only disciples who’ve mastered the ’Water Classics’ are capable of comprehending it. Do you not recognize it, Fellow Daoist?"

Ah, so that’s the purpose!

Chen Jichuan finally understood: the ’Water Mirror Technique’ was a signature spell indicative of Water Mansion affiliation.

However, Chen Jichuan only possessed the "Water Classics" itself and lacked spells like the ’Water Mirror Technique,’ leading to unnecessary confusion between the two.

"So that’s it."

Feigning epiphany, Chen Jichuan told Hann Jin, "Although I am a Mansion Master of Lishui, the years have not been kind. Much of the Water Mansion’s legacy has been lost, leaving only a single volume of the ’Water Classics.’"

Immediately, he recited a segment of the "Water Classics" fundamentals.

"That explains everything."

"Our records in the sect indeed mention that Lishui had migrated to Panlong Mountain tens of thousands of years ago. Over those millennia, compounded by the End of Dharma Era, it’s not hard to imagine parts of the legacy being lost."

Hann Jin nodded as he listened.

Thus.

Their identities firmly established, the two were confirmed to share a common heritage, fostering a sense of camaraderie.

Chem Jichuan sought from Hann Jin information about regions beyond Great Chu, while Hann Jin hoped to gain insights from Chen Jichuan regarding Great Chu itself.

Both sides stood to benefit, forging a harmonious rapport.

...