The pale cyan glow of the night pearl wrapped around Chen Moyan's shadow, casting it onto the hall's stone tiles like a crumpled wisp of cloud. Dew from the purple flower still clung to his fingertips; its coolness seeped across his palms, bringing back memories of the morning mist at Ice Sea Cliff in Canglan Realm—back then, Su Qingxue always said dew was the first breath of spiritual energy from heaven and earth, and tasting it directly made it sweet.
Chen Moyan tore his gaze away and fixed it on the faint blue light screen before him. This was the second time he'd summoned the "Eon-Long Dao Lord Interface." Unlike the chaos of the first activation, the text now was as clear as if carved into his mind:
[Name: Chen Moyan]
[Race: Human (Earth Native / Ascended from Canglan Realm)]
[Realm: Mortal (Residual Supreme Emperor Origin Unactivated)]
[Lifespan: 120,000+ years (99,997 years consumed in slumber)]
[Bloodline: Unawakened (Special Bloodline Suppressed)]
[Current Status: Mild Concussion (Remitting), Meridian Blockage (37%), Spiritual Energy Exhaustion (0.1% Remaining)]
He tapped the "Quests" tab with his fingertip, and the screen expanded:
[Main Quests:
Retrieve Yijing Sect's Ten Disciples (0/10)Collect the Ten Primal Artifacts (0/10)Open the Earth Portal (0% Progress)]
[Side Quests:
Explore the Qingqiu Ruins (12% Progress)Restore Basic Cultivation (0% Progress)]
The map function displayed a blurry patch of lavender; only a bright dot in the center marked his location: "Current Position: Qingqiu Ruins · Main Hall." The surrounding shadows were like smudged ink, too indistinct to make out.
"Worse than the compasses in Canglan Realm," Chen Moyan muttered softly as he tapped into "Information Analysis." The screen popped up with data:
[Current Area: Qingqiu Ruins (Seclusion Site of Ancient Cultivator "Qingqiuzi"). Founded 1.3 million years ago, destroyed in the "Heavenly Demon Calamity" (99,997 years ago). Residual Spirit-Gathering Array suppresses the host by 15% (suppression weakened due to special bloodline).]
[Recommendations: 1. Repair the Spirit-Gathering Array (requires Qingqiuzi's Soul Lamp); 2. Leave immediately (residual Heavenly Demon aura will erode the soul).]
He looked up at the central stone platform—the cracks in the bronze cauldron were crusted with black, eerily similar to the Heavenly Demon claw marks he'd seen once. When he reached out to touch the cauldron, a stabbing pain shot through his fingertip, and the interface warned:
[Heavenly Demon aura detected (Concentration: 0.01%). Recommend cleaning with "Soul-Purifying Dew."]
Chen Moyan took a small jade bottle from his storage space, poured out a drop of Soul-Purifying Dew, and wiped it along the crack. The black crust instantly hissed into white smoke, which trickled down the crack and left faint white streaks on the stone platform. The progress bar for "Explore the Qingqiu Ruins" jumped to 15%.
Turning his attention to "Residual Supreme Emperor Origin," Chen Moyan tried to guide the faint glimmers in his body using the methods from his past life. But just as he gathered them into a tiny cluster, a sharp pain exploded at his temple—
[Warning: 37% meridian blockage. Forcibly channeling energy will cause qi and blood to flow backward (Risk: 62%).]
He halted his cultivation and rubbed his temple, then remembered the Qi-Gathering Pills in his storage space.
Opening Su Qingxue's porcelain bottle, the fragrance of the pills filled the hall like blooming silver osmanthus. He poured out one pill and popped it into his mouth; a warm current slid down his throat into his dantian. On the interface, "Spiritual Energy Exhaustion" changed to "5% Remaining," and "Meridian Blockage" dropped to 30%. When Chen Moyan tried channeling energy again, the glimmers finally found their way, flowing slowly but steadily along his meridians. A thin progress bar appeared next to "Residual Supreme Emperor Origin Unactivated": 1%.
Suddenly, a sound like nails scraping stone echoed from the walls—
[Low-rank monster approaching detected (Distance: 45 meters).]
[Monster Info: Qingqiu Fox (Late Divine Disciple Realm). Weakness: Soft Armor on Abdomen. Counter Attribute: Fire.]
Chen Moyan opened his eyes. The vines at the exit twitched, revealing a pair of green eyes, glowing like two small lanterns.
He pulled out a "Third-Rank Fire-Thunder Talisman" from his storage space—one Su Qingxue had painted years ago. The moment he crushed it, red light flickered at his fingertips. As he walked toward the exit, the Qingqiu Fox lunged out, its claws scraping the doorframe, saliva dripping onto the ground and corroding small pits.
Chen Moyan smiled faintly, then waved his hand, unleashing the talisman's power. A streak of red light slashed at the fox's abdomen. It let out a shrill howl and collapsed, a gash splitting its soft armor and oozing black blood.
[Qingqiu Fox slain. Experience Points +10. "Restore Basic Cultivation" Progress +5%.]
Chen Moyan picked up the fox's inner core and stored it away. The progress for "Explore the Qingqiu Ruins" climbed to 20%. He straightened his black robe, re-pinned the purple flower to his collar, and glanced at the hall's exit—more monster howls drifted from the dense forest beyond, but he felt no fear.
As he stepped forward, the interface's light screen flickered before his eyes, like an unextinguishable lamp. He was Chen Moyan: the Supreme Emperor of Yijing Sect, the one who had returned after 100,000 years.