The Secret of Tattoos: Heaven Leaves No Trace, Hidden Paths Conceal the Dust

A technique that can double one's power is called a Treasure Art. Tripling it qualifies as a Divine Skill, while quintupling it is an Immortal Method. A tenfold increase is considered heretical, and a twentyfold amplification... that is no longer a limit mortals can reach!

Ye Ancai's insight was insufficient to discern the true potential of the half-faded dragon tattoo on Dai Yuanshan's back.

But Chen Yi was different. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable, but upon closer inspection—astonishing!

Even in its incomplete state, the tattoo granted a fivefold amplification. If fully realized, it would far exceed that—at least tenfold, possibly even twenty!

Moreover, this tattoo wasn't just effective because Dai Yuanshan was weak. Even if applied to someone like Ye Ancai, a genuine Immortal, the amplification would remain just as potent!

A mere second-tier high-grade ability user, roughly equivalent to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, would only have a combat power of around 8,000 by the chat group's standards. A twentyfold boost would merely raise it to 160,000.

But for someone like Ye Anchen, an early-stage True Immortal with 2.8 billion in combat power, a twentyfold amplification would bring about a world-shaking transformation!

Turning one dollar into twenty is trivial, but a billion into twenty billion...

Hiss— There was something off about Dai Yuanshan. This incomplete dragon tattoo couldn’t have been the work of an ordinary person. It was likely the handiwork of this world’s hidden Heavenly Dao incarnation!

After all, a tenfold increase is the absolute limit of human capability. Beyond that, only the Heavenly Dao could achieve such a feat!

The Great Dao numbers fifty, but the Heavenly Dao derives only forty-nine. Within certain bounds, the Heavenly Dao is truly peerless!

And for it to engrave a rule-based tattoo that even True Immortals could benefit from? This Heavenly Dao’s rank must far surpass that of a True Immortal!

"B-Big... big boss, h-have you seen enough?"

Dai Yuanshan shuddered under the intense gaze, fearing for his chastity.

He knew that powerful figures often had... peculiar tastes. Though he was born with delicate, scholarly features, he had spent over a decade surviving the apocalypse. He was fierce—so much so that he’d gotten tattoos to cover his fair, soft skin and appear even fiercer. Pity it hurt so much he couldn’t finish...

Even after all that, was he still doomed to be coveted?

Chen Yi: "..."

Just how did this guy, whose mind is stuck in the gutter, get chosen by the Heavenly Dao?

He couldn’t spot any exceptional qualities at all.

After a pause, Chen Yi spoke slowly, "Drop those absurd thoughts. Tell me, do you remember where you got this tattoo?"

He wanted to verify his suspicions but refrained from directly invading Dai Yuanshan’s consciousness. After all, the man was a chosen one—best to show some courtesy.

Well, mostly because this world was riddled with strangeness, and he didn’t want to pick up some eerie, inauspicious contamination.

Especially since his tribulation to immortality had been goddamn sealed away by Wuji. Losing a clone now would be hard to replace.

Damn that Wuji!

Dai Yuanshan froze at the question.

Where had he gotten that dragon tattoo?

He vaguely recalled a dimly lit tattoo parlor, a stunningly beautiful woman with ample curves, fair legs, and a fragrant scent. A single deep breath—ohhh—she was a hundred... no, ten thousand times more enchanting than Technician No. 888 from the Heavenly Paradise!

Wait...

Why couldn’t he remember the tattoo parlor’s location?

The simple-minded Dai Yuanshan short-circuited, his eyes glazed with confusion.

Seeing this, Chen Yi understood.

The Heavenly Dao leaves no trace, hidden amidst the floating dust.

Not every Heavenly Dao was as lively as Zi Wei. By nature, it was elusive—shifting with the wind, dispersing with the mist, concealed within the world. A flower, a blade of grass, a speck of dust—all could be it, yet none truly were.

If it didn’t wish to be found, no lifetime of searching would suffice... unless you tore its home apart and forced it out!

But...

This continent seemed to be just a fragment of its domain. Destroying it wouldn’t matter much—it could still refuse to appear, perhaps even retreat further.

To find it, Dai Yuanshan, the chosen one, was the key.

With that in mind, Chen Yi waved his hand, summoning the third-tier Abyssal Demon that Ye Ancai had captured. In an instant, he refined it, extracting a condensed Abyssal Essence Crystal before casually stuffing it into Dai Yuanshan’s mouth.

"Mmmpfh—!"

Dai Yuanshan clutched his throat, his pale face flushing crimson as he gagged.

"B-Big boss, what did you just feed me?!"

He hadn’t seen clearly—just a sudden, scorching mass sliding down his throat into his stomach, then exploding. His entire body burned as if scalded by boiling water!

His leader, Liu Bi, had seen it clearly and quickly interjected, "Second Bro, focus! The boss gave you a purified Abyssal Essence Crystal from a third-tier demon—higher quality than even the Dawn Base’s extracts! Absorb it well!"

"O-Okay, boss... but it hurts! I feel like I’m gonna burst...!"

Dai Yuanshan writhed, torn between agony and euphoria.

Then—

Whoosh!

Blazing flames erupted from his body, incinerating his freshly donned pants in an instant, leaving him bare once more.

"Hahaha! Second Bro, you did it—you broke through to third tier!" Liu Bi laughed heartily before bowing deeply to Chen Yi. "Thank you, great one! We owe you!"

Chen Yi waved dismissively. "Don’t celebrate yet. You’re next. But to spare our eyes, put this on first."

With that, he tore off a piece of Ye Ancai’s robe, refining it into two skintight combat suits. One was tossed to Liu Bi; the other was forcibly draped over Dai Yuanshan’s flaming, naked form.

Liu Bi swiftly changed, swallowing nervously. "Great one, I’m ready. Whenever you..."

He was no fool. He knew their place—resistance was pointless. If this man offered, he’d take it without pretenses.

Chen Yi smirked, nodding at Ye Ancai, who immediately understood. Reaching into the void, Ye Ancai plucked a snarling third-tier Abyssal Demon from hundreds of kilometers away.

Liu Bi’s jaw dropped.

What kind of power is this?!

He’d caught a glimpse—Ye Ancai’s hand had pierced through space into a high-radiation zone, casually selecting a demon like picking produce!

"Oi, open up!"

Ye Ancai extracted the demon’s essence and flicked it straight into Liu Bi’s mouth.

Boom!

A storm of wind and lightning erupted from Liu Bi’s body.

Chen Yi watched intently as the brothers underwent their evolution. The Abyssal Essence dissolved, its energy reinforcing their flesh, accelerating cell division, densifying bones...

Meanwhile, the faint traces of law fragments surged up their spines, flooding into their ability cores within their minds, strengthening their foundational laws!

This evolutionary method is entirely different from the universal systems currently prevalent across the myriad realms. It bears some resemblance to the alternative evolutionary path that the Flying Star Heavenly Dao is experimenting with, yet there exists a fundamental distinction between the two!

To be specific, the Flying Star Heavenly Dao is attempting to construct a solid foundation, upon which the people of Flying Star can build towering structures. The ultimate height they can reach depends entirely on their potential. If a few exceptionally talented individuals emerge, the Flying Star Heavenly Dao will soar to unprecedented heights!

On the other hand, this supernatural evolution path is akin to patching up a collapsed foundation. The height it can achieve will never surpass its origin—the limit of the former Heavenly Dao!

This seems like a contingency plan left behind by the Heavenly Dao to save itself, with the goal of reconstruction. By using supernatural evolvers as the foundation, it seeks to piece together a nascent form of the Heavenly Dao once more!

Moreover, Liu Bi’s words corroborate this theory. Every survivor of the apocalypse is searching for the so-called "Heavenly Dao Key of the Divine Realm," which is likely the crux of the matter!

If the speculation holds, the one who bestowed the tattoo upon Dai Yuanshan was none other than the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao Key of the Divine Realm!

Furthermore, the Calamity Realm might not have always been called the Calamity Realm—it was likely once known as the Divine Realm!

A name like that certainly carries weight!

Perhaps due to a cataclysmic disaster, the laws of heaven and earth collapsed, and the Heavenly Dao, powerless to salvage a world already beyond repair, chose to embrace destruction for rebirth—breaking the old to usher in the new!

This is precisely why it was renamed the Calamity Realm!

Of course, this is merely Chen Yi’s preliminary conjecture based on the currently available information. Whether it holds true requires further verification.

And Dai Yuanshan, the chosen savior, is the key to unraveling this deadlock!

Had Ye Ancai not intervened at the last moment, rescuing the two brothers from the third-tier Calamity Demon, they would have undoubtedly perished!

The "Chosen One" is not unique—if Dai Yuanshan were to be sacrificed, the next one would only grow stronger!

But now, Dai Yuanshan, who was fated to be sacrificed, has survived. How will the hidden Heavenly Dao react?