The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 571: Dao Heart Test

In the Qinglan Sect, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if a leaden cloud was pressing down on the head. Yun Yao held the invitations from the three major sects in her hand, and the gold-plated paper seemed to weigh a thousand pounds at this moment. The handwriting on the invitation was flamboyant, inviting her to attend the "Daoism Conference" held once every century, but she knew clearly in her heart that this was not a Daoism Conference, but a Hongmen Banquet, and all forces were coveting the secrets of the core of time and space in her hands, trying to force her to submit.

Yun Yao stood in front of the window, looking through the carved window lattice at the rolling mountains in the distance, thinking to herself: "This conference will definitely be full of thorns. If I am not careful, not only will I be in danger, but I will also implicate the sect and Chu Mochen." Her fingers unconsciously tapped on the window lattice, making a subtle and rhythmic sound, as if playing a prelude to the coming storm.

At this time, Xiao Cui was busy sorting out materials in the house. Her slender fingers quickly flipped through the yellowed ancient books, her brows knitted, her expression focused. Suddenly, she seemed to be hit by something, stopped abruptly, stared at a paragraph of text on the page, and exclaimed: "Miss, look! This discussion meeting was held at the Tiandao Terrace, which turned out to be the place where the master fell!" Her voice was trembling, and she was both shocked and afraid.

Yun Yao's figure flashed, and she came to Xiao Cui's side in an instant, her eyes anxiously scanning the ancient book. There were only a few words on it, but they hit her heart like a heavy hammer: "In the year of Wuchen, the Tiandao platform collapsed, the saint died, and the world mourned together..." Yun Yao's hand trembled slightly, and she gently touched the cold words, with endless bitterness and doubts in her heart: "What happened to Daddy back then? Why did he die in this holy place of the Dao Conference? There must be a hidden story, could it be related to the current situation?"

At the same time, in the quiet cave in the back mountain of Qinglan Sect, Chu Mochen was in seclusion. Spiritual energy surged around him, as if a materialized light cocoon was wrapping him up layer by layer. As his cultivation deepened, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly trembled slightly, and then a warm light overflowed from it, and the inherited memory of the Wujie Sword Cultivator flooded into his mind like a tide.

In the vast river of memory, he finally remembered that a thousand years ago, he had made a contract with the Heavenly Saint to protect Yun Yao's reincarnation, "mutual cause and effect in all lives". At that moment, he suddenly understood why every time he was on the verge of death, a mysterious force would pull him back. It turned out that since he saved Yun Yao who had traveled through time when they first met, the fate of the two had been closely intertwined like a thread, spanning a thousand years.

"Yun Yao, in this life, I will never let you make the same mistake again, even if it means going against the will of heaven, I will not hesitate." Chu Mochen slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of determination flashed in his eyes, that light was like bright stars, able to dispel all darkness in the world.

At this moment, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen's systems simultaneously issued a clear reminder sound, breaking the tranquility of the moment: [The Dao Conference will open the "Dao Heart Mirror", and the host must face the most fearful illusion in his heart. ]

Yun Yao frowned slightly, feeling uneasy in her heart: "Dao Heart Mirror? This is to spy on the deepest fear in my heart. If I am controlled by the illusion, the consequences will be disastrous." She took a deep breath, trying to calm the waves in her heart, and began to search for a way to deal with it in her mind.

Chu Mochen clenched his fists, his eyes revealing determination: "No matter what kind of illusion it is, I will not let it hurt Yun Yao in the slightest." He stood up and strode out of the cave. His steady and powerful footsteps echoed in the cave, as if declaring his determination.

As the day of the Dao Conference drew closer, the Qinglan Sect was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. The disciples' usual laughter and joy had disappeared, replaced by diligent training and whispered discussions. They all knew the dangers of this conference and were worried about the Sect Master.

Finally, the day of departure arrived. Yun Yao was wearing a moon-white robe, with fluttering sleeves, like a fairy descending to the earth. The robe was embroidered with faint spiritual patterns in silver thread, like a flowing galaxy, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura. Her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail, fixed with only a white jade hairpin, which made her face look cold and elegant. Chu Mochen was wearing a black robe, with a straight figure like a pine tree, and a cold look between his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. A quantum sword hung on his waist, and the sapphire on the hilt flashed coldly in the sunlight. The whole person was like a sharp sword unsheathed, exuding a frightening momentum.

The two led a group of elite disciples of Qinglan Sect and headed towards Tiandao Peak, the venue of the Dao Conference. Along the way, the mountains and forests were quiet, with only the sound of footsteps and fluttering clothes. Occasionally, a bird would be startled and fly across the sky, adding a touch of uneasiness to the solemn atmosphere.

As they got closer to Tiandao Peak, the spiritual energy in the air fluctuated more and more violently, as if an invisible pair of hands were stirring up the wind and clouds. Yun Yao looked up at the towering mountain, feeling mixed emotions in her heart: "Dad, my daughter is here, and today I must uncover the truth of that year."

When they arrived at the foot of Tiandao Peak, they saw that people from other sects had already been waiting there. The disciples of Tianjian Sect were dressed in uniform light blue clothes, with swords on their waists, the swords flashing with cold light, revealing a sharp aura; the people of Danding Sect were mostly dressed in apricot-yellow robes, carrying medicine baskets on their backs, holding various pill recipes in their hands, and exuding a faint medicinal fragrance; there were also some small and medium-sized sects, all of which showed their style, some with powerful spiritual power, and some with strange magic weapons.

Everyone's eyes fell on Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, with inquiry, fear, and even some unconcealed greed. Yun Yao looked indifferent, as if she didn't notice anything. She just raised her head slightly and looked straight ahead with an innate pride. Chu Mochen slightly turned sideways, half-protecting Yun Yao behind him, and the hilt of the quantum sword in his hand was slightly hot, as if responding to the owner's vigilance.

"My dear friend Yun Yao, it's been a long time since we last met. I hope you are all right." The elder of the Tianjian Sect spoke first. There was a hint of hypocritical greeting in his voice, but his eyes were wandering over Yun Yao like a poisonous snake, trying to spy on her true intentions.

Yun Yao nodded slightly, a faint arc appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she responded neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Thank you for your concern, everything is fine." Her voice was crisp and pleasant, like a clear spring in the mountains, but it also revealed a majesty that should not be underestimated.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone headed towards Tiandao Peak together. The mountain road was rugged, with jagged rocks on both sides, and spiritual energy lingering like mist. As Yun Yao walked along, she felt more and more uneasy. She always felt that there were countless pairs of eyes staring at her in the dark, and those eyes were like materialized ropes, making her feel uncomfortable all over.

Finally, everyone arrived at the Tiandao Terrace. This is an extremely magnificent stone platform, built of pure white jade, with intricate runes engraved on it, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The stone platform is surrounded by clouds and mist, like a fairyland, but Yun Yao knows that there is a hidden murderous intention under this fairyland.

At the beginning of the Taoism Conference, various sects first demonstrated their own cultivation achievements and magic weapons and skills. The disciples of the Tianjian Sect flew with swords, dancing in the air with sharp sword flowers, like silver snakes dancing wildly, and the sword energy was crisscrossed, which caused exclamations from the audience; the Danding Sect displayed a row of rare elixirs, which glowed and smelled fragrant, which made people amazed; there were also some sects that were good at taming beasts, summoning various strange monsters, some majestic, some small and agile, showing their unique beast taming skills.

Yun Yao stood in the audience, watching with cold eyes, secretly evaluating the strength of each party in her heart. She knew very well that these were just appetizers, and the real competition was still to come.

When it was Yun Yao's turn to perform, she walked slowly onto the Tiandao stage with lotus steps. Instantly, the whole audience focused on her, as if she were the protagonist under the spotlight. After she stood still, star maps of two worlds suddenly appeared behind her. One was the starry sky of the cultivation world with twinkling stars and crisscrossing spiritual veins, and the other was the sky of the earth with shining technology and brilliant city lights. The star map shone brightly, illuminating the entire Tiandao stage like a dreamland, and everyone couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

“The so-called Heavenly Way is nothing but rules made by the strong.” Yun Yao’s cold voice echoed in the air, like a loud bell, awakening the deaf. “If I can enable mortals to cultivate data spiritual roots and allow cultivators to master scientific and technological civilization, isn’t this a greater Heavenly Way?” Her words were so powerful that they broke everyone’s inherent perception of the traditional Heavenly Way, and the audience immediately began to talk.

The elder of Danding Sect nodded slightly, with a flash of appreciation in his eyes. He suddenly stood up and said loudly: "I support young friend Yun. Your mother once said that technology and cultivation will eventually reach the same destination." As he finished speaking, the disciples of Danding Sect actually brought out a photolithography machine driven by spiritual power. Under the infusion of spiritual power, the photolithography machine made a low humming sound, and strange rays of light flowed on its surface, as if it contained endless mysteries, showing the wonderful possibilities of the integration of technology and cultivation.

However, just as everyone was immersed in this novel display, Yun Yao's system quietly sounded an alarm: [Host, danger is approaching, please be careful! ]

Yun Yao's heart trembled, and her eyes quickly swept to the audience. She saw several figures in black robes quietly moving in the crowd. Their sleeves were embroidered with the same dark pattern as the elders of the Blood Demon Sect - that was the symbol of the long-destroyed "Fallen Angel Cult". Yun Yao thought to herself: "This Fallen Angel Cult is really lingering, and it must be trying to sabotage this discussion conference and snatch the core secrets."

She quietly gathered her spiritual power, her fingers gently stroking the silver hairpin in her sleeves, ready to respond to any emergency. Chu Mochen also noticed something was wrong, he slightly turned sideways, approached Yun Yao, the quantum sword in his hand trembled slightly, making a subtle humming sound, like a beast ready to attack.

As the discussion conference continued, the debate among the parties became more and more intense. Yun Yao relied on her unique insights into technology and cultivation to debate with the immortals, which made many people respect her views, but also attracted more jealousy and hostility.

As night fell, stars dotted the sky on the Tiandao Terrace. Yun Yao dragged her tired body back to the resting tent. As soon as she sat down, she closed her eyes and began to silently circulate her spiritual power to recover her consumed energy.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her mind, as if she were pierced by thousands of needles. Then, the scene in front of her eyes suddenly changed, and she found herself back in the laboratory on Earth. In the laboratory, familiar instruments and equipment were neatly arranged, and her mother was debugging the quantum shuttle. Her focused eyes and gentle movements seemed to be replayed yesterday.

"Mom..." Yun Yao couldn't help but call softly, her eyes slightly red.

At this time, Chu Mochen came over in a white coat, with a gentle smile on his face, like the warm sunshine in spring, and said to her softly: "Su Yao, if this experiment is successful, we can--"

However, the picture suddenly turned bloody without any warning, and the mother's body gradually became transparent, as if being swallowed by an invisible force. Chu Mochen's eyes flashed with strange indifference, and his voice seemed to come from the Nine Nether Hell, icy and piercing: "The world anchor point must be destroyed. This is the order of the Administration."

"No--" Yun Yao screamed in horror, reaching out to grab her mother and Chu Mochen, but she missed and watched them disappear before her eyes.

Just as she was in deep grief, the surrounding scene changed again, and she found herself in a dark void with an endless abyss under her feet. A sinister laugh echoed in her ears: "Yun Yao, give up, you can't change your fate at all, your existence will only bring destruction..."

Yun Yao's heart trembled, but soon, a firmness flashed in her eyes: "This is just an illusion, don't try to confuse me!" She suppressed the fear in her heart, trying to awaken the spiritual root of creation in her body and use spiritual power to dispel the darkness.

But the illusions became more and more turbulent, like a surging tide, one wave after another. One moment, the Qinglan Sect disciples fell in a pool of blood, asking her for help; the next moment, Chu Mochen was hit by the power of the Heavenly Dao and turned to ashes...

Yun Yao's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and her body was trembling slightly, but her eyes were always unyielding: "I will never surrender, even if it is an illusion, I will break this illusion!"

Just when she was almost exhausted, she suddenly remembered the jade pendant her mother left her and the mystery that had not yet been solved. She gritted her teeth and took out the jade pendant, pouring all her spiritual consciousness into it, trying to use the power of the jade pendant to find a way out.

Instantly, the jade pendant shone brightly, creating a strong resonance with the core components in her body. A warm force gushed out from the jade pendant, flowing along her meridians, dispelling the chill and fear in her body.

Then, some ancient runes slowly emerged from the jade pendant, the runes flickered, as if telling something. Yun Yao took a closer look and found that it was a secret inheritance about the laws of time and space and the heart of Tao.

“So… that’s how it is.” Yun Yao suddenly realized. She followed the instructions of the runes and merged her spiritual power with the power of her data roots. She built an indestructible shield inside her body and isolated the illusion from outside.

Afterwards, she held the jade pendant and merged it with the core component again, unexpectedly opening up a third path in this dark void - a passage emitting soft light, at the end of the passage was a beautiful scene of two worlds coexisting in harmony.

"This is the future I want to pursue, and no one can stop me!" Yun Yao's eyes were shining with hope, and she strode towards the passage. In the light, her figure seemed to be covered with a layer of sacred armor, full of strength and courage.

When Yun Yao broke free from the illusion, the morning light was already dim outside the tent. She slowly opened her eyes, revealing the determination and calmness after going through hardships. She knew that the test of this discussion conference had just begun, but she was no longer afraid, because she had the belief of protection in her heart and the power to break all rules.

"Chu Mochen, we will definitely be able to overcome these difficulties." Yun Yao whispered softly, as if she was conveying strength to her lover far away, or as if she was cheering herself up.

Outside the tent, the breeze blew gently, as if responding to her vow, with a hint of gentle expectation, waiting for her to write a new legend.