The Seventh Heavenly Stele and the Path of Self-Reliance

The Seventh Heavenly Stele was of paramount importance to Xiao Chen—it was the summation and sublimation of the method contained in the first six steles. He had to see it clearly, to understand it fully.

"Summoning a Heavenly Stele is merely a legend," the old stone turtle said slowly. "Whether anyone has ever truly accomplished it is lost to the ages. With your current cultivation, you are far from that level. Setting aside the ultimate realm, you are still a considerable distance from true comprehension, from perfect clarity."

Xiao Chen sank into contemplation. He felt that although the Heavenly Stele Profound Art could be executed, certain techniques were not smooth. Some passages even stagnated, obstructing the flow of divine power.

"I have cultivated this art for thirty thousand years," he said. "I could almost recite it backward, yet it always feels incomplete. Why?"

"Practicing the Heavenly Stele method carries immense risk. Not everyone is suited to it. Those with the proper constitution are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Throughout the ages, many have tried, but only a handful—fewer than the fingers on one hand—have ever reached perfection. And all of them have fallen."

"How can one achieve perfection?" Xiao Chen asked.

"Only those three or five who fell truly knew," the old stone turtle said, shaking his head. "The answer lies within you."

At that moment, Shi Zhongdi, who had been smiling all along, stroked his goatee and said, "Cultivating the Heavenly Stele method requires great courage, great perseverance, and great boldness of spirit."

"Do you think I lack these?"

Shi Zhongdi's lean, wrinkled face creased into a frown. "You cultivate your body and your heart, but you have never truly opened yourself to the method."

"Have I not opened myself enough?" Xiao Chen questioned, thinking of the great rises and falls he had endured, the countless trials—how could he fear life and death?

"What is that?" Shi Zhongdi pointed to a halo above Xiao Chen's head, shaped like a pagoda, suspended in the void.

With a flash of light, Xiao Chen manifested the Five Emperor Tower from within his body.

Both Shi Zhongdi and the old stone turtle were shocked. They had not expected to see this legendary sacred object.

But they were extraordinary beings and soon regained their composure. Pointing at the tower, Shi Zhongdi asked, "What do you use it for?"

"To fight enemies."

"Exactly," Shi Zhongdi nodded. "Think back—when you fought in the past, what did you rely on?"

"The Divine Diagram, the Ancient Scroll, the Heavenly Marks…"

"Now you must reflect. From past to present, have you ever truly used the Heavenly Stele Profound Art?" Shi Zhongdi fixed his gaze on Xiao Chen. "What you have always depended on are sacred objects. Rarely have you engaged in ultimate combat using your own true method."

The old stone turtle also nodded. "If you set aside the Divine Diagram, abandon the Ancient Scroll, and discard the Five Emperor Tower, would you still have the confidence to face a Stone Man powerhouse?"

Xiao Chen frowned deeply. For a long time, he had grown accustomed to opening a path with the Divine Diagram and killing enemies with the Ancient Scroll. He had become heavily dependent on external treasures. If he cast these aside, let alone contend with a Stone Man King, he might not even prevail against an ordinary Stone Man. Objectively speaking, his own cultivation was already formidable, but it could never match a Stone Man King.

"Right now, you are like a child holding a sharp blade to a grown man's throat. If you one day lose that blade, how will you face him?"

Xiao Chen nodded silently. Looking back, he realized this was true.

"Sacred treasures are powerful, but relying on them too early will shackle your potential. In the beginning, it is like walking with a crutch. Later, it becomes like wearing chains. The Heavenly Stele Profound Art requires great courage and perseverance to cultivate. You have been confined by your own habits."

Reflecting on the past, he saw it clearly—he had indeed grown dependent on a few war treasures. He had to wake up.

"I will cultivate the supreme method!" Xiao Chen said to himself.

Could he truly abandon the Divine Diagram, the Ancient Scroll, and the Five Emperor Tower? But the Divine Diagram and Ancient Scroll had already been given to Keke. Now he only had the Five Emperor Tower. He decided to seal it first and temporarily stop using it.

"Keeping it on you will still make it a crutch. You must make a resolute decision," Shi Zhongdi said earnestly. "You must be willing to let go. Only by letting go can you gain. When you have truly achieved perfection, you can retrieve these treasures again—it will not be too late."

"Very well, I will entrust the Five Emperor Tower to you," Xiao Chen said without hesitation, taking the tower from above his head and handing it to Shi Zhongdi.

Although cultivating inside the tower allowed him to hear the faint Dao tones of the universe, his foundation was the Heavenly Stele Profound Art. To make a true breakthrough, he had to return to the source.

He needed to let go, to set aside, to temporarily resist all temptation.

The white-shelled turtle, which had been trampled unconscious by the old stone turtle, had now awakened. Staring at the Five Emperor Tower with drool, it suddenly rolled over, assumed a solemn expression, and extended its turtle claw toward Xiao Chen. "I am willing to take on the burden of the Five Emperor Tower with great perseverance, great courage, and great wisdom. Let all afflictions fall upon me in your stead!"

The old stone turtle swayed as if moving slowly, but its claw was unstoppable. It landed squarely on the white turtle, trampling it until its eyes rolled back.

"You little whelp, such a burden is not for you to bear. If you took it, all the kings would flay you alive."

"You did that on purpose!" the white-shelled turtle struggled out from under the giant stone claw, wobbled twice, uttered that sentence, and then fainted again.

Xiao Chen had long known that although the Otherworld had collapsed, its formidable foundation remained intact. But hearing it confirmed from Shi Zhongdi's lips was a different feeling.

The Otherworld was ancient and mysterious, with deep roots. It would be difficult to eradicate completely. Moreover, it might hold the strongest warriors of the Nine Provinces from every era—captured and forged into powerful combat tools by the enemy.

Xiao Chen spent a day on the island, learning much and filling in the gaps of the past millennia. Then he bid farewell to Shi Zhongdi and the others. Meanwhile, he learned from the Buddha that an ancient titan was about to return.

"Hmph!" Shi Zhongdi laughed coldly. "The current heavens and myriad worlds are even more unfathomable than in the primordial age. If he has truly reached that level, he will be annihilated the moment he returns. Even the Little Stone Emperor met such an end. That person will not have a good outcome. But we will keep watch and prevent any accidents."

Xiao Chen set out to cultivate alone, to achieve perfect understanding of the Heavenly Stele Profound Art.

Time flowed like a river. Xiao Chen cultivated on a solitary island for over five hundred years, feeling his mind and body become utterly empty and clear. The method from the six steles circulated through him, radiating a dreamlike brilliance.

Only after another five hundred years did he slowly open his eyes. The stars had shifted, and a thousand years had passed.

A thousand years—two words on paper, but a long, bitter span to endure. Enough to change dynasties several times over, enough for a civilization to make great strides. The Nine Provinces' scientific civilization had advanced rapidly, reaching distant stars and ushering in a new era.

"A day in the cave, a thousand years in the world"—this was the eternal solitude faced by cultivators of the divine and demonic path. But compared to Stone Man Kings, Xiao Chen's journey was still brief.

Now the thirty-thousand-year pact was behind him. Xiao Chen's heart was as still water. Once more, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Another thousand years passed before he finally rose to his feet. After these two millennia of cultivation, Xiao Chen discovered many problems. The Heavenly Stele Profound Art was far more mysterious and complex than he had imagined. True comprehension was a monumental challenge.

Yet he had gained something. His perception of the outside world had grown sharper. Vaguely, he seemed to sense the presence of several Heavenly Steles.

He would begin his search for the steles, gather the Heavenly Marks, and learn the subsequent methods.

Today, he tore through space and stepped into the Curse Realm.

The Curse Realm's once-great formations had long been destroyed, but the land was now more vibrant than ever, filled with green mountains and ancient trees.

Xiao Chen stood above a deep chasm, gazing down into its dark depths. His spiritual intuition had guided him here. At this moment, he sensed the presence of a Heavenly Stele!

He reached down with a massive hand, plunging it into the abyss.

With a thunderous roar, the chasm shook violently. Xiao Chen strained to pull up a stone stele about ten feet tall.

Suddenly, he heard sounds of slicing air. Sword beams shot up from the abyss, brilliant rays piercing the clouds, as if they would tear through the barrier of the great world itself.

It was—it was—

Xiao Chen sensed a deeply familiar aura, and a name long buried in his memory surfaced: Dugu Jianmo, whose iron sword once swept the heavens!