My gorgeous wife Chapter 1972: 1940: On the Dao

To date, within Li Chen's awareness and certainty, only two individuals have reached the Palm Realm. The first was an immense creature encountered in the uncharted Starry Sky, its sheer scale preventing a complete view. The second was the very Heavenly Dao that had expelled Li Chen from that same mysterious expanse.

However, Li Chen's cultivation level back then was woefully insufficient; he lacked the capacity to truly comprehend the terrifying magnitude of those two entities. Now, a nascent understanding of a Palm Realm powerhouse's dread begins to dawn upon him. He is convinced that even with his current strength, formidable artifacts, and every conceivable tactic, escaping the grasp of a single Palm Realm expert would be an insurmountable task.

This conviction stems from an instinct, an unexplainable premonition. Presently, Li Chen stands at the Half-step Soul Realm. He possesses the ability to vanquish an Immortal Emperor and has the confidence to evade a Daoist Lord. Yet, facing a Palm Realm powerhouse, even after deploying all his trump cards, he feels utterly powerless to escape.

Such is the awe-inspiring power of a Palm Realm expert. Furthermore, Li Chen has never witnessed a Palm Realm powerhouse unleash their full might. Consequently, the true extent of their terrifying capabilities remains unknown to him.

A woman of unparalleled beauty, her face adorned with a gentle smile, descended upon Penglai Celestial Island. Accompanying her was a retinue of young individuals, presumably her disciples. Upon their arrival, the islanders exclaimed, “Lord Mingmeng has returned.”

“Greetings, Lord Mingmeng. We humbly inquire if your expedition into the Starry Sky yielded any discoveries?” Despite her formidable power, this exquisite woman displayed no arrogance. She graciously acknowledged and returned the greetings of those she passed, occasionally pausing for brief exchanges, entirely devoid of the imposing aura one might expect from a Palm Realm expert.

Yet, the profound respect evident in the eyes of the onlookers clearly conveyed Lord Mingmeng's esteemed position among the residents of Penglai Celestial Island. Suddenly, a young boy approached the trio, calling out, “Senior Brother Wuju, Sister Xinxin?” He greeted Zhuo Wuju and Jun Zhixin warmly. Li Chen observed that this youth was among those who had returned with Mingmeng.

“Ah, Little Cang. Did you benefit from your excursion with Lord Mingmeng this time?” Jun Zhixin inquired with a smile upon seeing the youth, reaching out to affectionately ruffle his hair.

“Sister Xinxin, I’m not a child anymore! Please stop ruffling my hair!” the youth protested with a touch of dissatisfaction.

Jun Zhixin chuckled heartily. “My dear, no matter how much you grow, in Sister Xinxin’s eyes, you will forever be a little boy!”

Little Cang’s expression turned wistful upon hearing her words, rendering him speechless.

“Hmm, and who might this Daoist friend be?” Little Cang asked, his gaze shifting to Li Chen with evident curiosity.

“This is Brother Li Chen, a new Daoist companion we recently befriended,” Jun Zhixin replied. Little Cang immediately straightened his posture and clasped his hands in a respectful bow towards Li Chen. “I pay my respects to Senior Brother Li.”

“There’s no need for such formality,” Li Chen responded with a smile, gesturing dismissively.

“Ah, Master is returning to prepare the banquet. I must go assist. Senior Brother Wuju, Senior Brother Li, Sister Xinxin, we shall converse again later!” As if recalling an urgent matter, the youth waved to the three and quickly rejoined the group following Mingmeng. “Little Cang is a remarkably bright young man,” Zhuo Wuju remarked with a smile.

“Indeed. I believe Little Cang is destined for extraordinary accomplishments in the future,” Jun Zhixin affirmed with absolute certainty. “Brother Li Chen, what are your thoughts?”

Li Chen appeared to snap back to the present, nodding quickly. “I concur.” Extraordinary accomplishments. His mind pondered the definition of such achievements. Gazing at the departing youth, a peculiar thought unexpectedly surfaced within Li Chen’s heart: “Could it… could it truly be him?”

Soon after, as he watched the figures of Mingmeng and her entourage recede, Li Chen shook his head, dismissing the thought. It was impossible. Based on age, cultivation, or any other conceivable metric, it was simply not feasible. “Since the banquet is about to commence, perhaps we should also return?” Zhuo Wuju suggested at this moment.

Li Chen and Jun Zhixin nodded in unison, and the trio proceeded back to their courtyard, enveloped in an aura of spiritual energy. Within the courtyard, Li Chen observed numerous talented individuals gathered, conversing in small groups about profound laws and debating the Dao. Occasionally, peculiar phenomena manifested above their heads—ephemeral visions that only appeared when the Taoist Magic woven into their discourse reached an exceptionally high level. This indicated that despite their young age, each of these individuals was, without question, a peerless prodigy in cultivation.

"Brother Zhuo has returned," a young man called out, waving towards them. "Lord Mingmeng is already back, though it seems the banquet will commence after a short wait. How about the three of you join us for a discussion on the Dao?"

"What are your thoughts, Brother Li?" Zhuo Wuju desired to accept, yet remembering Li Chen beside him, he inquired first.

"I shall simply follow Brother Zhuo's lead," Li Chen responded with a smile.

"Very well. Xinxin, do come and join our conversation as well." Zhuo Wuju nodded, a smile gracing his lips.

And so, the trio became part of the ongoing Dao discussion.

Initially, Li Chen's role was merely an observer.

He observed that the Supreme Asura Realm and the current Heaven Realm were indeed quite distinct—in some aspects, even vastly so.

This was because, in the Supreme Asura Realm back then, the term 'Martial Artist' was not even in use; everyone was simply a cultivator, wholly dedicated to Seeking the Dao and aspiring to higher Realms, with far fewer categorizations.

Even the cultivation tiers were basic: Ninth Order, Domain Realm, and Soul Realm.

The Palm Realm was the realm that followed the Nine Layer Heavens.

Furthermore, the principles of the Supreme Asura Realm diverged entirely from the present. They placed minimal emphasis on Techniques and Methods, instead focusing predominantly on the cultivation of Laws.

During the Dao debates, individuals would occasionally make subtle movements to illustrate an advancement, each instance broadening Li Chen's understanding.

If the cultivation of each Law could be divided into Five Layers of Realm—

Then, presently, among Li Chen's Laws, only his Space Law had ascended to the Fourth Layer, the Void Realm. As for his other Laws, the majority remained at the second or third layer stages.

Regarding the Supreme Laws, Li Chen had only touched their surface, still in the nascent stages. With the exception of the Law of Destruction, which had reached the First Layer Realm, his comprehension of the Time Law and Life Law was merely at a fundamental level.

Among the geniuses gathered, nearly every one had cultivated their focused Laws to a level exceeding the Third Layer.

This was an exceptionally daunting realization.

A cultivator's Yuan Force is finite. Even if a cultivator were to expend all their Yuan Force, the Power they could unleash might still be relatively limited. Therefore, at this juncture, a cultivator must draw upon the Power of the Heaven and Earth Laws.

Only by utilizing Laws could a cultivator unleash world-ending, heaven-shattering might.

For instance, if a Heavenly King from the Zuitian Realm, having comprehended only a First Layer Law, were to face a Heavenly King from the Higher Heaven Realm who had comprehended a Third Layer Law—despite their cultivations differing by an entire tier—as long as their Attributes were not completely and utterly countered, the Zuitian Realm cultivator would stand no chance against their Higher Heaven Realm counterpart.

Such is the formidable nature of Laws!