Chapter 21: The Profound Foundations of the Supreme Inheritance

After Li Cangqiong imprinted his consciousness into their minds, he granted them the freedom to act.

Li Chen and Lin Ying ventured deep into the secret realm. Towering ancient trees and tangled vines made it feel as though they had stepped into a primordial wilderness. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows upon the mossy stone path. Suddenly, a low, guttural roar shattered the silence. A qilin wreathed in purple flames charged from the woods, its eyes burning like torches, radiating an aggressive aura. Back-to-back, the two prepared for battle; Li Chen gripped his longsword, the blade glowing like a dragon, while Lin Ying raised her fingertips, sending charms fluttering through the air in a brilliant display of light. The beast roared, spewing flames, and a thrilling confrontation began to unfold within the depths of the realm.

Just as Li Chen and Lin Ying channeled their full primordial energy to engage in a life-or-death struggle, an unexpected turn occurred. The qilin tilted its head, wagged its tail, and slowly approached them. It blinked its eyes with extreme docility, then projected a beam of purple light into Li Chen’s consciousness. After a moment of stunned silence, Li Chen burst into laughter and turned to Lin Ying. "It is a descendant of a spirit beast raised by our ancestor. It recognized the ancestral bloodline aura in my inherited memories, so it is acting affectionately to curry favor."

Li Chen reached out to stroke the creature’s head, and it let out a soft, satisfied hum. Lin Ying, delighted, stepped forward to pet it as well, and the beast nuzzled against her.

Exchanging smiles, the two continued deeper into the realm. Before long, the path opened up to reveal a set of ruins covered in ancient runes, which hummed with a resonance that seemed to echo the heavens themselves.

At the center of the ruins hovered a colossal tripod inscribed with the characters for "Chaos." The vessel was weathered by the passage of eons, and chaotic energy seemed to churn within it. As they stepped into the ruins, a powerful, ancient pressure descended upon them, as if freezing the very air in place.

Lin Ying lightly touched a rune, triggering a brilliant burst of light. A portal to an unknown dimension slowly creaked open, revealing the alluring glow of treasures and the faint call of ancient legacies from within.

Stepping through the portal side-by-side, they found themselves in a vast, boundless world filled with swirling purple chaos. "We must have entered the Chaotic Realm," Lin Ying remarked. "It would seem so," Li Chen replied.

The land was lush with exotic flowers, rare herbs, and birdsong. Clear lakes teemed with leaping fish, while mountains were shrouded in purple mist and verdant forests offered sanctuary to carefree spirit beasts.

The two gathered a bounty of suitable medicinal herbs, spirit crystals, primordial stones, and celestial treasures. Satisfied with their spoils, they departed the Chaotic Realm.

Together with the qilin, Li Chen and Lin Ying explored the entirety of the secret realm, collecting numerous rare cultivation resources along the way.

They returned to the altar where the ancestor’s manifestation awaited. Li Cangqiong first bestowed upon each of them a Supreme Blade, telling them, "These are for your self-preservation. I have set them so that the blade spirits will not assist you unless you are at the brink of death." He then transmitted the supreme cultivation technique, the "Firmament Codex," into their souls and taught them the incantations to enter and exit the secret realm before sending them out of the space.

When Li Chen and Lin Ying materialized, they did not find themselves back at home, but in a completely unfamiliar place.

They stood amidst the ruins of an ancient site, where broken walls and collapsed mountains scarred the landscape. The spiritual energy was thin, the vegetation withered, and in the distance, ferocious beasts could be heard howling in endless slaughter.

It seemed the ancestor had not sent them home, but had sent them out to train! Yet, what could there possibly be in such a desolate ruin to help them improve their cultivation?

Curious, the two spread their divine sense toward the distant sounds of combat. Several beasts at the Core-Forming stage were engaged in a brawl. "Let’s head over there; Ying, you need more combat practice!" "Agreed."

Lin Ying was full of confidence and fighting spirit. She was at the peak of the Core-Forming stage, only one realm lower than Li Chen.

As they touched down, Lin Ying dove into the fray. After a series of pained howls, the beasts scattered and fled. Ten carcasses remained on the ground, which Li Chen promptly collected into his storage ring—this was, after all, a source of delicious food!

Li Chen was just about to offer his wife some praise when the ground began to shake, and a heaven-shaking roar erupted. He hurriedly cast out his divine sense and—damn it! Four beasts at the peak of the Deity-Transformation stage were flying toward them. Li Chen was only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, one and a half realms lower than them. He couldn't even handle one of them, let alone four. Li Chen thought to himself, the ancestor was truly trying to train them to death!