Chapter 266: Dao Enlightenment Platform

The main hall was extremely spacious, and the corridor was naturally very long as well. Perhaps because the top of the hall was made of glazed glass, it did not appear dark but rather extremely bright. However, the corridor was too long, and one could not see the end at a glance.

Chen Chao held the broken saber and walked a few steps forward, then saw some murals on both sides of the corridor.

The murals on both sides of the corridor depicted different scenes. Some portrayed the daily life of this sect, some depicted pill refinement, some showed cultivation, and some showed cultivators harvesting herbs in a medicinal garden with baskets on their backs.

Other murals depicted a group of cultivators gathered in front of a stone platform. Behind the stone platform was a large tree with luxuriant branches that drooped down onto the platform. Behind the overlapping branches, a man sat cross-legged on the stone platform. That man was dressed in robes, his face was not depicted. But at a glance, one could tell that this man was surely extraordinary.

In front of the stone platform, a group of cultivators stood there, looking at the man on the stone platform, presumably listening to the Great Dao of cultivation.

This was a diagram about imparting Dao.

Chen Chao stood on one side of the corridor, looking at the mural of imparting the Dao, faintly hearing the sound of Great Dao ringing in his ears.

"The way of Heaven is like drawing a bow. Those who stand at a height will lower it, those who are below will raise it, those who have more will lose..."

In a trance, the scene in front of him had already changed somewhat.

It was as if a scroll was slowly unfolding before him. The stone platform also became clear.

That large tree gradually became clear too. Its branches and leaves were lush and swayed continuously in the breeze.

A deep and broad voice suddenly sounded, "We will stop here for today. You may all leave."

As the voice rang out, the cultivators beside Chen Chao all stood up, bowed, and then turned and left.

They passed by Chen Chao, seemingly not seeing him, and left without stopping.

But the man on the stone platform did not leave. The leaves obscured some of his figure, but one could roughly tell that he was a slender man wearing a long robe.

Chen Chao took a few steps forward, wanting to go to the front of the stone platform, to push aside the branches and see the true face of the man.

But after just a few steps, there was a sound from the stone platform, still broad and gentle, "What do you want to see?"

Chen Chao was taken aback, instantly becoming a little distracted. He fell silent for a moment before saying with some puzzlement, "Are you talking to me?"

The man on the stone platform did not answer him. With a gust of wind, the branches were blown aside, revealing that man's true face. It was an extremely ordinary face, so common that it had no distinctive features. It even made Chen Chao unable to remember that face at all. Every time his gaze shifted away, he would not remember the man's appearance.

"It's a magic spell."

The man discerned Chen Chao's confusion and said calmly, "No matter how much you want to remember, you'll never be able to."

Chen Chao also understood this principle. There should be a vast gap in their realms. He did not hesitate and went straight to the point, "What place is this exactly?"

Sitting on the high platform, the man listened to this question and replied calmly, "This place is called the Dao Enlightenment Platform, the place where the Rongshan Sect preaches on Dao."

Chen Chao was taken aback, he had indeed heard the words 'Rongshan Sect.'

Chen Chao said, "Why am I able to see you?"

When the man heard this question, he found it somewhat interesting. A curious emotion appeared on his face, "I don't know either."

Chen Chao thought for a moment, then suddenly exhaled a mouthful of mist. There were even golden traces in it, and asked, "Is it because of this?"

The man looked at the mist, the slight frown that had just appeared on his face completely smoothed out. He sighed softly and said, "It turns out that every action, every sip, every drink, is predestined, destined to be you, so it's you."

Chen Chao did not linger and continued walking ahead.

............

The middle-aged daoist riding on the black ox emerged from the boundless sea of flowers and arrived outside the dilapidated medicine field.

After many years, it had finally come here again. The black ox seemed somewhat happy, but its happiness quickly dissipated because the herb garden before its eyes was in desolation. Instead of medicinal herbs all over the ground as it had imagined, the field was overrun with weeds, devoid of any trace of medicinal herbs.

The black ox lowered its head and took a bite of the weeds, chewed for a moment, and then spat them out in frustration. It then said cautiously, "Daoist Master... I really have no idea..."

The middle-aged daoist sat on its back, looking at this scene without being in a hurry to speak. But, there was no trace of disappointment in his eyes. Perhaps he had long anticipated it would be like this.

"Even if an immortal medicine appeared, it would gain sentience and wouldn't stay in one place for too long. So when major sects plant immortal medicine seeds, they would definitely arrange for cultivators to watch over them from the moment they are planted. The instant it matures, they would either trap it in place using an array formation or directly collect it using something."

The middle-aged daoist said slowly. "Let's see if there's any medicinal pit here. If so, at least this trip wouldn't have been in vain."

The black ox was slow on the uptake. Although it had lived for a long time, did not know much either. Upon hearing the middle-aged daoist's words, it hurriedly rushed in and began searching for the so-called medicinal pit.

"Daoist Master, there are four medicinal pits here!"

After a thorough search, it suddenly exclaimed joyfully, "Does this mean that there were once four immortal medicines here?!"

The middle-aged daoist glanced expressionlessly at the four pits on the ground and said indifferently, "Those are your four hoof prints."

"... ..."

"Daoist Master is wise, I'll go take a look again."

The herb garden was vast, at least not smaller than the sea of flowers at first glance. The former Rongshan Sect was a large sect, and naturally, everything within the sect was of the finest quality, including the herb garden. Even the soil was specially brought back from the depths of the sea overseas by powerhouses specially sent by the Rongshan Sect. The mud that had sunk into the seabed for countless years contained extremely abundant spiritual energy, making it an excellent choice for cultivating medicinal herbs.

Ordinary sects simply did not have this capability; it was the countless powerhouses of the Rongshan Sect that made it possible.

The middle-aged daoist jumped off the back of the ox and walked towards the depths of the herb garden. Due to the lack of maintenance over the years, the weeds that had grown over time had become exceptionally tall.

It would likely be challenging to find the so-called medicinal pits in this herb garden.

After some time, the middle-aged daoist stopped at a particular spot, pushed aside the surrounding weeds, and saw two deep pits. These two pits were not large; about the thickness of an arm. Over time, weeds had grown around the edges. The weeds were not long, but it was enough to conceal the openings.

The middle-aged daoist reached out to pluck the weeds on top, peering into the holes.

"Daoist Master, are these the medicinal pits?"

The black ox which had scooted over at some point asked earnestly. "Daoist Master, with your extensive knowledge and experience, you indeed found them with one glance."

The middle-aged daoist replied, "These are medicinal pits, and there are two of them. This herb garden is pretty good. There should have been two immortal medicines, but it's unclear whether they are still here."

After reaching maturity, immortal medicines would gain sentience and develop their own thoughts. Naturally, they would seek to leave. At this moment, the whereabouts of the two immortal herbs were unknown, but if they were still within the Rongshan Sect's mountain pass gate, it would be the best outcome.

The black ox asked expectantly, "Can Daoist Master find them?"

The middle-aged daoist did not speak, but instead extended his palm. A faint light emerged from his palm, gradually turning into a beam that continued to extend in this location.

Looking at the beam, the middle-aged daoist said calmly, "If they are still here..."

The black ox originally wanted to hear the rest of the words, but the middle-aged daoist abruptly stopped talking halfway, leaving the ox puzzled. "Daoist Master, why did you stop talking?"

The middle-aged daoist did not speak, his expression solemn as he continued to watch the beam lengthen and spread, disappearing beyond his line of sight.