Chapter 712: Chapter 280: A Dream of 3,000 Autumns, One Moon Over All the Lands

Celestial Venerable Shangli said, "Let the Carefree Heaven use the Supreme Dharma Orbiting Device to help find it."

Celestial Venerable Baiyu smiled and said, "I went to Carefree Heaven to ask. Celestial Venerable Yu Chen said the Orbiting Device is currently being used for other matters."

Celestial Venerable Shangli saw his intriguing expression, and couldn’t help but narrow his eyes,

"Do you think he’s lying?"

Celestial Venerable Baiyu said, "A few years ago, Yu Chen went to Rain Dragon Continent. It was just at that time that the Heaven-shaking Thunder Sea inexplicably calmed down, with all the thunder disappearing completely. And Yu Chen appeared to have fought someone there and suffered a setback. It’s unclear what really happened."

"What do you deduce?" Celestial Venerable Shangli asked with furrowed brows.

Celestial Venerable Baiyu smiled slightly, "What can I deduce?" he shook his head and stepped away, "If you have time, please ask at Carefree Heaven for me once more."

Celestial Venerable Shangli fell into contemplation, thinking, could something have happened to the Supreme Dharma Orbiting Device?

Just as the Twelve Thousand Eight Hundred Eyes symbolize the destiny of the Yin Yang School, to some extent, the Supreme Dharma Orbiting Device also symbolizes the destiny of the Daoist School. This is not mere rhetoric, for these two treasures inherently have intricate connections with the Destiny Dao, and all things in the world are tied to the Destiny Dao.

Considering this, Celestial Venerable Shangli felt uneasy in his heart. He formed a seal with one hand, and a golden cicada embodying Dao intent flew from his fingertip, transforming into a beam of light that disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

After informing Fu Manman, who was in the Mortal World, about the Great Prosperity Festival, Celestial Venerable Shangli set out for Carefree Heaven.

...

Celestial Venerable Yu Chen sat upright on his Dao Platform, his eyes tightly closed, fatigue showing in his expression.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes abruptly and looked forward,

"Celestial Venerable Shangli, is there something you need?"

Celestial Venerable Shangli did not rush to state his purpose, he observed for a moment,

"Yu Chen, you look a bit tired, this isn’t like you, is something troubling your heart?"

Celestial Venerable Yu Chen laughed heartily, "When was my heart ever troubled? The joy of uncertainties fills my heart with endless delight. But Celestial Venerable Shangli, it’s been hundreds of years since you last visited Carefree Heaven, what brings you here today?"

Celestial Venerable Shangli smiled slightly, "I came to borrow the Orbiting Device."

Celestial Venerable Yu Chen remained composed and shook his head,

"It’s not possible for now. The Orbiting Device is currently in use."

"When will it be free?"

"That’s hard to say."

"Searching for something, even you can’t say."

"Artifacts from the Ascension Era, they are of ancient times, with deeply hidden traces, difficult to uncover." Celestial Venerable Yu Chen asked, "Celestial Venerable Shangli, what is your purpose in borrowing the Orbiting Device?"

"To find the Unruffled Platform." Celestial Venerable Shangli said, "Baiyu thinks he isn’t welcome, that’s why you wouldn’t lend it, so he asked me to inquire."

"There’s no such unwelcome situation."

"If so, I won’t disturb you any longer."

Celestial Venerable Yu Chen smiled and said, "I will inform you when the Orbiting Device becomes available."

As he watched Celestial Venerable Shangli leave, the smile on Yu Chen’s face vanished instantly. The immense pressure and the fatigue brought by the strain on his mind nearly consumed him. Even when he first crossed the Celestial Tribulation, it was never this painful.

"Damn it!"

This Celestial Venerable, known for his open-minded nature and carefree conduct, couldn’t help but grit his teeth and curse.

Every strand of his beard trembled, completely devoid of the graceful demeanor of Mei Rangong, replaced by a dark, brooding aura.

The incident of the Orbiting Device being stolen was constantly on his mind. Over these years, he hadn’t left his Dao Platform for a single step, using all means, exhausting his brain, just to find the one who stole the Orbiting Device.

Yet, for some reason, he felt himself getting further from that thief, in the beginning, he could still find some traces, but now there weren’t even traces, almost to the point of feeling as if the other party never existed at all.

It was as if the theft of the Orbiting Device was just a nightmare.

"Baiyu and Shangli both came to inquire one after the other, there must be some suspicion!" Yu Chen gritted his teeth, "It can’t be concealed for much longer..." Sweat trickled down his forehead, pushing his mind’s limits to the extreme.

But even so, he was still powerless. It was as if an insurmountable mountain stood before him.

He shakily got up and headed for Carefree Palace.

When he met the Carefree Ancestor, before he could speak, the latter halted him,

"I already know, no need to speak further."

Yu Chen hung his head without saying a word.

The Carefree Ancestor’s deeply lined face showed an aura like the brilliance of time,

"Your Dao heart is unstable. Yu Chen, will your ten thousand years of pursuing the Dao be ruined today?"

"I beg the Ancestor for guidance." Yu Chen, living for ten thousand years, was well aware that he was trapped in a nightmare. The issue had escalated beyond just the mistake of losing the Orbiting Device; it now included the frustrations of pursuing what couldn’t be obtained, limitations, and barriers.

If this obsession is not dispelled, it will eventually turn into a demon.

Once the Dao heart turns demonic, it would be too late for anything.

The Carefree Ancestor, watching him without revealing any emotion, sighed reluctantly after some time. Though disappointed in Yu Chen, he couldn’t help but lend a hand, as Yu Chen was someone he had personally cultivated back in the day.

He extended his right hand, resembling a withered tree branch, palm up, with a sky-blue butterfly suspended there, gently flapping its wings. Each wing beat stirred up a supreme Dao resonance that would drive the world into madness. Being a member of the Three Elders Pavilion of White Jade Capital, he had almost comprehended all Dao techniques of the world.

"In a great dream of three thousand autumns, the world is bathed in a single moon." The Carefree Ancestor’s voice was ethereal, "Yu Chen, you have only one choice: cocoon yourself and spread across every corner of the world, to seek those faint traces. If successful, you’ll break through and emerge as a butterfly across the sea, returning to the present, but if you fail..."