Surrounded by famous mountains and the vast Dragon Marsh, the mountains formed a green belt around the expansive waters, where mist and vapor rose day and night. But on this day, a powerful force suppressed the surging waves, dispersing much of the mist above the marsh. Numerous flying vehicles and Dao Palaces hovered above Dragon Marsh, with gathered cultivators eagerly or anxiously awaiting the emergence of the Dragon Mansion.
Ji Yutang sat cross-legged on a protruding rock, eyes closed, resting.
It had been half a year since she left home in anger. She wandered in search of opportunities, hoping to one day stand out and earn the respect of those who looked down on her. However, her body was unique; though she was born with a Dao heart, able to instantly sense and absorb the world’s spiritual energy, her meridians couldn’t retain it, leaving her to watch it dissipate helplessly.
The cultivation methods passed down from the Supreme Dao Ancestor in the Nine Provinces had evolved into five realms. The first step was to draw spiritual energy into the body and condense the first trace of magical power, known as “Mortal Shedding.” Only after this step could one distinguish themselves from ordinary warriors, further refining their magical power, visualizing and refining their life-bound magical artifact, and then using magical power to condense their life-bound true essence, stepping into the Foundation Establishment realm.
But Ji Yutang couldn’t even achieve “Mortal Shedding,” let alone anything beyond. She relied entirely on a magical artifact she carried—a Pearl of the Mysterious Elephant. When activated, it could forcibly retain spiritual energy in her body for half an hour, during which she could barely possess the combat power of the Shedding the Mortal realm.
“You only rely on the Pearl of the Mysterious Elephant, yet you think you’re a true cultivator? You’re just a waste, destined to return to dust in a hundred years. Why waste my time? I’m a daughter of the Ran family, my father is a direct descendant of the Confucian Spring and Autumn Heaven, and I’m listed in the Taiyuan Dao Palace, a direct descendant of the Supreme lineage. But you? Just a waste. What’s so great about being born with a Dao heart? Do you think a marriage contract can bind me?”
“You say I never showed it before? Do you think I wanted to? My father treated the Ji family and you so well. If I didn’t please him, how would I gain resources for cultivation?” …
A voice filled with disdain and scorn suddenly echoed in her mind, causing Ji Yutang to frown and abruptly open her eyes.
The voice belonged to Ran Guzhu, her fiancée. On the eve of their wedding, she first injured Ji Yutang, belittled her, and then fled with other cultivators, slapping the Ji family in the face. This incident almost became her inner demon.
Her marriage to Ran Guzhu was arranged before they were born. The Ji and Ran families had exchanged betrothal letters and sworn an oath before the Supreme Dao Ancestor, not to change due to poverty. If Ran Guzhu was dissatisfied and wanted to break the engagement, she had time and opportunity. Would the Ran family force her? Yet she refused to take that step, pretending to be deeply affectionate until she used the Taiyuan Dao Palace to escape the situation!
She thought she was being straightforward by tearing off the false affection before leaving, but all of it was a knife to Ji Yutang’s heart. The bloody scars fueled her anger, gradually transforming into motivation to become stronger.
So what if she was a leaky bucket? Who said her Dao path would end because of it? Her future achievements would surpass Ran Guzhu’s. Wasn’t she just a disciple of the Taiyuan Dao Palace?
As Ji Yutang’s thoughts fluctuated, a thunderous explosion echoed in her ears. A Dragon Mansion suddenly rose from Dragon Marsh, filled with clear energy. Countless water tides surged from the depths of the marsh, accompanied by roars like dragon cries. This Dragon Mansion was left by a dragon celestial being in ancient times, possibly containing a path to the celestial realm. The disciples of the Eight Great Immortal Sects didn’t care about such places, but for the scattered cultivators of the Nine Provinces, it was a great opportunity.
As the Dragon Mansion appeared, the tides surged, and after dozens of breaths, the weather suddenly changed. Countless dark clouds covered the sky, followed by a torrential downpour. In the heavy rain, cultivators activated their magical power, flying towards the Dragon Mansion filled with clear light. However, the surging tides and rain formed a barrier, quickly bouncing back the escaping light, blocked by the Dragon Mansion’s restrictions.
Ji Yutang was a step slower than others, stopping in time and frowning as she looked at the True Dragon Legacy Mansion. Among the cultivators here, there were those from Mortal Shedding to Golden Core. If even Golden Core cultivators couldn’t enter, then she, a false Mortal Shedding cultivator, had no chance. Just as she was about to give up, a pillar carved with nine lifelike true dragons flew out from the Dragon Mansion, and the nine dragon heads spat out the pearls they held. The pearls leaped in the air, instantly hitting several people, who then disappeared.
At this point, everyone realized that the dragon pearls were the key to entering the Dragon Mansion, and they all tried to seize them. However, no matter what they did, they couldn’t touch the elusive dragon pearls. The pearls had their own consciousness, selecting cultivators to enter the Dragon Mansion. Ji Yutang initially wanted to actively collide with the dragon pearls, but her magical power couldn’t penetrate the crowd. Sighing, she was about to give up when a dragon pearl suddenly appeared in front of her, colliding with her. Ji Yutang felt a gentle, water-like force envelop her, and within a few breaths, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
On the vast plain, lush with vegetation, strange beasts occasionally appeared, but there were no signs of people. Ji Yutang’s heart tightened, suspecting this place was related to the True Dragon Legacy Mansion. Thinking of the cultivators drawn in by the dragon pearls, she became more vigilant. In the past, due to her scattered spirit body, she was always under the Ji family’s protection and never ventured out. However, in the past six months, she had suffered many hardships, been deceived countless times, and even nearly lost her life a few times. In this world, one couldn’t easily trust others.
Ji Yutang cautiously walked forward, avoiding the beasts on the path.
Before entering the True Dragon Legacy Mansion, the Pearl of the Mysterious Elephant was already filled with spiritual energy, allowing these forces to temporarily stay in her body for half an hour. If she quickly exhausted them, she might not have the chance to sit and replenish the Pearl of the Mysterious Elephant. Unlike true Mortal Shedding cultivators, she had to calculate how to use her magical power to ensure her safety.
Fortunately, the beasts in the True Dragon Legacy Mansion were mild-tempered and wouldn’t actively attack cultivators. Ji Yutang walked for half an hour, only accidentally stepping on a venomous snake and getting into a conflict. But just as she was about to pass through a forest, two black smokes appeared on the horizon, quickly manifesting into two young cultivators.
“The True Dragon Legacy Mansion doesn’t have a road map. The paths are vast. How are we supposed to find the inheritance?” “Be patient, just treat it as trying your luck. Besides, there are many cultivators inside. It’s not bad to get something from them.” A sneering laugh sounded, full of malice.
“Too bad there are no disciples from the Eight Great Immortal Sects.”
“The Eight Great Immortal Sects each have their own Dao transmission. How could they care about the True Dragon’s Dao that coexists with heaven and earth?” …
Ji Yutang hid behind a rock. Due to her scattered spirit body, she had no magical power fluctuations, allowing her to avoid detection by other cultivators. Only after the two speaking disciples left did Ji Yutang breathe a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead and thinking, “That was close!”
These two were surrounded by turbid energy and rolling black smoke, clearly not from the orthodox sects. The Dao transmissions in the Nine Provinces were varied, including Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonism… but ultimately, they boiled down to the Xuan and Demon paths. The Xuan path was inherited from the Supreme Dao Ancestor, while the Demon path came from the Demon Ancestor.
According to the Dao Canon, in ancient times, before the division of Yin and Yang, heaven and earth were chaotic. The primordial king of heaven and earth, Yuanshi Tianwang, and Taiyuan Shengmu gave birth to two sons, the Supreme Dao Ancestor and the Demon Ancestor.
The two brothers were destined enemies from birth, engaging in battles for several eras, ultimately perishing together. The Supreme Dao Ancestor transformed into clear energy, transmitting the three great Dao lineages of the Xuan sect: Taiyuan, Taishi, and Taixuan, known as the Three Palaces of the Supreme.
Later, disciples evolved various Dao paths, founding the Buddhist and Confucian paths. The Buddhist path, with its Killing Path and Pure Lotus Zen lineages, was based in the Sumeru Sea, while the Confucian path, known as the Righteous Path, had three major transmissions: Langhuan Immortal Realm, One Pen of Past and Present, and Spring and Autumn Heaven, collectively known as the Eight Great Immortal Sects of the Nine Provinces, along with the Three Palaces of the Supreme.
The Demon Ancestor, on the other hand, evolved the three palaces of the Demon path: Tianhai Demon Sect, Huoxin Palace, and Qingtian Sect. However, the Demon path now also includes the “Heartless Sect,” formed by Xuan sect cultivators who, after practicing the Supreme Heartless Dao, extinguished their emotions and fell, becoming the fourth Demon Palace.
Disciples of Huoxin Palace were all women, the Heartless Sect had an evil atmosphere, and Qingtian Sect cultivators were tall and burly, specializing in body cultivation. Those two demon sect cultivators clearly didn’t belong to these three major demon sects but were from the Tianhai Demon Sect. This sect’s cultivators were notorious for their killings, extremely evil, and even openly used humans as blood food, extremely cruel and ruthless.
Ji Yutang knew she couldn’t handle Tianhai Demon Sect cultivators, so she had to avoid them. Once the two sinister people completely disappeared, Ji Yutang cautiously emerged from behind the rock. She didn’t want to encounter those two demon sect cultivators again, so she chose the opposite direction to walk. However, not long after, she heard a clear voice like jade striking, saying:
“You two don’t look like you’re from the demon sect. Are you planning to attack fellow cultivators?”
