Wang Shanyuan knew he wouldn’t get the answers he wanted from Yan Shouxia, so he quickly left in a huff.
Yan Shouxia remained calm, got up, and returned to her room.
Tu Danzhu frowned, thought for a moment, and then followed her.
She looked around to make sure no one was nearby before whispering, “You even made a promise? How can you let Shen Zao go like this?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Yan Shouxia smiled, her eyes calm and devoid of any extra emotion.
Tu Danzhu looked at her for a long time and sighed inwardly.
She knew she couldn’t persuade Yan Shouxia, so she said no more.
However, deep down, she still felt a lingering sense of melancholy.
Ever since Yun Chixin’s incident, Shen Zao had also encountered problems. Even if they weren’t punished by the academy upon returning to Jiuzhou, Yan Shouxia probably wouldn’t be trusted by the higher-ups, and she might not even be able to keep her position as “Palace Master.”
Meanwhile, far away at the edge of the world, each Great Whirlpool emitted a terrifying aura, with countless chaotic breaths escaping and slowly seeping into the world’s Primordial Qi.
Under the impact of spiritual energy, they gathered into a mass, evolving into new chaotic creatures.
“This whirlpool is somewhat like the Xuanming Yin Region of the North Sea,” Ji Yutang observed thoughtfully.
However, in Jiuzhou’s Xuanming Yin Region, the chaotic energy in the Great Whirlpool was completely consumed, leaving no excess chaos to escape, resulting in a perfect transformation.
“With our strength, we probably can’t eradicate the Great Whirlpool,” Ji Yutang said bluntly.
Limited by the laws of this world, their cultivation could only reach the Golden Core stage, but the evolution of the Great Dao itself surpassed this level.
Li Jingyu nodded, not denying Ji Yutang’s words.
She took out nine round beads made from chaos pearls and tossed them in all directions.
The beads immediately began to spin, absorbing the chaotic energy escaping from the Great Whirlpool.
“This will temporarily hold it off,” Li Jingyu said, gazing at Ji Yutang.
“You practice the Daode Heavenly Book.
Can you see the changes in yin and yang within the Great Whirlpool?”
Ji Yutang pondered for a while and cautiously said, “I’ll try.”
Li Jingyu nodded, “Be careful.”
The two were mentally prepared for the chaos, not expecting to succeed right away.
The chaotic energy here was extremely dense, the source of chaotic creatures, but due to the presence of violent spiritual energy, chaotic creatures were not born here and even instinctively feared this world.
The gloomy sky seemed to be splattered with thick ink, with dark clouds gathering above, occasionally sending down thick bolts of lightning, stirring the Great Whirlpool like a sea-stabilizing rod.
Under this mighty force of heaven and earth, strands of Primordial Qi scattered outward, sometimes separating into clear and turbid, sometimes becoming a mass of chaos.
Ji Yutang’s divine intent surged, drawing on the Dao rhythm from a high place.
Her eyes flashed with golden brilliance as she gazed into the depths of the dark, viscous whirlpool, faintly glimpsing an unusual bright light.
As she observed the evolution of the laws of heaven and earth, her power quickly waned, and even the “Two Elephants in Harmony” could barely sustain it.
After one of her incarnations was exhausted, she suddenly withdrew her heightened divine intent and, after a long contemplation, said, “It seems that some kind of artifact is being nurtured within the whirlpool, but it has not yet emerged from the chaos.”
Li Jingyu’s eyes flashed with a strange light.
She nodded at Ji Yutang and said, “The Daode Heavenly Book is not easy to cultivate.
Perhaps you can use the Great Whirlpool here for secluded cultivation.” She could sense that every time Ji Yutang communicated with the high Dao rhythm, she was getting closer to that high place.
The rise and fall of divine intent, from depletion to fullness, was actually a gradual process.
Ji Yutang asked, “What about you?” Li Jingyu raised an eyebrow at the question, pointing to the nine chaos beads with a slight smile, “I’ll use them to merge with my Jewel of the Rising Tides, pushing my Life-Bound Artifact towards becoming a true artifact.” Chaos contains the laws of heaven and earth and the changes of yin and yang.
She cultivated the true essence of the moon, naturally only taking the “yin” from it.
Separating the yin and yang in chaos is also a process of colliding with the principles of the Great Dao.
The two had just arrived at the edge of the world, and although they were targeting the chaotic whirlpool, they couldn’t make much of a change in a short time.
After all, the chaotic energy had been dispersing for thousands of years, constantly evolving in the world.
In a short time, the number of chaotic creatures would not decrease, but with the changes in the chaotic Great Whirlpool, they would eventually perish one by one.
Years later, the disciples stationed at various sects finally noticed the changes in the chaotic creatures.
Previously, their territories had advanced and then been pushed back by wandering chaotic creatures, but later, at some point, they only expanded outward and were never pushed back, and the chaotic creatures throughout the Chaos Shadow Realm were decreasing.
Due to the rampant chaotic creatures, cultivators had previously focused only on eliminating them.
Now, with some leisure time, they turned their attention to spreading the Dao.
In the past, they had always insisted on this, setting up altars to preach in the cities of mortals.
However, although there were people with spiritual potential, they never reached the level of Jiuzhou cultivators, not even able to establish a Dao foundation.
Was Jiuzhou’s Dao not applicable? Just as doubts arose in the hearts of the disciples of various sects, someone suddenly entered the Dao in Fan City, the North Sea station.
Although their power was weak, as the first disciple to awaken and enter the Dao, they attracted everyone’s attention.
“Do the Beihai Demon Cultivators still preach to mortals at their station?”
“They did when that person was around, but she’s been missing for years.”
“Could it be the Demon Sect’s Dao? After all, the Beihai Demon Cultivators are close to the Demon Sect.”
After receiving the news, disciples from the Three Supreme Palaces and Spring and Autumn Heaven Palace gathered together, each trying to uncover the mystery.
Clearly, the Tai Shang Dao was the supreme law, so why did the first person to enter the Dao appear at the North Sea station? In the past, they could have gone to the North Sea station to bring people back, but now both sides had become mortal enemies.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” someone suggested.
Half a year later, the Chaos Shadow Realm indeed saw a second person enter the Dao, this time not at the North Sea station but in the territory of the Three Supreme Palaces.
Once someone enters the Dao, they are considered a fellow Daoist.
The Three Supreme Palaces were naturally willing to preach to the people of this realm.
However, when offering the “Supreme Dao Ancestor” image, the Daoist refused to worship, unwilling to recognize him as the Dao ancestor, instead worshiping the sun god and moon god as the mother of heaven and earth.
This meant that the law and Dao of this realm were taken by the worship of the sun and moon gods.
Initially, the disciples of the Tai Shang Dao Palace didn’t pay much attention, as it wasn’t the Demon Sect’s Dao transmission.
But when all the mortals who entered the Dao at various stations made the same choice, they finally realized something was amiss.
“The sun god and moon god have not manifested, but if this continues, they will eventually manifest their Dao bodies through the worship of the people.”
“Don’t the Demon Palace and the North Sea station care?”
“We’ve put in so much effort, but we still can’t surpass the original gods of this realm?”
“Do you all remember the changes in the sun and moon a few years ago?” Yan Shouxia blinked and spoke calmly.
She cultivated the “Book of Heavenly Questions,” but the sky of Jiuzhou was not the sky of the Chaos Shadow Realm.
In this realm, chaos was unclear, and who could fully understand it?
“Is it her?!” Qin Ruoshui’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this, and his thoughts quickly turned to Li Jingyu, muttering to himself, “She cultivates the Dao of the moon and combines with the true body of the Earth Mother, capable of being the mother of the Great Dao.”
The changes in the sun and moon of this realm initially troubled them, but they soon gained great benefits from it.
Gradually, they forgot about these changes.
However, wasn’t Li Jingyu a demon seed? Why didn’t she manifest the Demon Ancestor’s image? Could it be that she wasn’t possessed by the Demon Ancestor? Was everything she did for herself? Qin Ruoshui carefully sorted out everything that had happened in the past and suddenly realized! Li Jingyu’s actions against the Demon Sect cultivators weren’t due to the unique “same sect killing” of the Demon Sect; she was clearly trying to expel the Demon Ancestor’s lineage! And they might have been the knife in Li Jingyu’s hand.
“Senior Brother Qin?” Yan Shouxia glanced at Qin Ruoshui, whose face was pale, and raised an eyebrow.
Qin Ruoshui’s heart tightened.
He steadied himself and shook his head, “It’s nothing.” If things continued like this, the faith and law of the Chaos Shadow Realm would be taken by Ji Yutang and Li Jingyu, and with the power of this realm, they might very well enter the realm of the primordial spirit during the cycle.
At that time, could the Three Supreme Palaces’ plan continue? Would the Demon Ancestor and Dao ancestor truly return as foretold? What would be the future path? The disciples continued to discuss, but Qin Ruoshui couldn’t hear a word.
He suddenly stood up and walked out, as if only by doing so could he dispel the suffocating feeling in his heart.
“What did Senior Brother Qin think of?” Moments later, Yan Shouxia’s voice sounded behind Qin Ruoshui.
Qin Ruoshui didn’t answer.
He looked at Yan Shouxia and replied with a question, “Is this why Junior Sister Shen left?” After a pause, he straightforwardly asked, “What do you think of the Tai Shang plan?”
Yan Shouxia chuckled softly, “Is it up to us to decide?” Her Dao transmission came from the academy, and her nature wouldn’t allow her to abandon the Spring and Autumn Heaven Palace like Shen Zao, but she couldn’t fully endorse the “Tai Shang plan” from the bottom of her heart.
Why should the Supreme Dao Ancestor return? Would the Great Dao not work without him? Or was it to deal with the Demon Ancestor? Not to mention the Demon Ancestor hadn’t manifested, couldn’t they handle it with their own strength? Why place hope on the Dao ancestor? What was the purpose of their cultivation all these years?
Qin Ruoshui murmured, “Indeed.” After a few breaths, he sighed again, “A heart set on obsession, is the Pure Lotus Zen a sign?”
Yan Shouxia’s gaze passed over Qin Ruoshui, looking towards the direction of the Demon Sect station, and said softly, “The Ling Mountain Buddha is in the Demon Sect.
Has she really fallen into demonic ways? Or is she trying to save demons?”
“The chaotic creatures in this realm have gradually decreased.
I searched the sect’s Dao books and found no related records.” Qin Ruoshui skipped over the Ling Mountain matter and changed the topic again.
Yan Shouxia raised an eyebrow and said gently, “Did Junior Sister Ji and the others do something, right?” They hadn’t seen Li Jingyu and Ji Yutang for years, but she never believed they were in trouble, as everything was normal at the North Sea and Demon Sect stations.
They were likely doing something important, and since they had acted on the sun and moon, why not on other things? “We strive to spread the Dao at the stations, but in the end, we haven’t done as much as Junior Sister Ji and the others.”
Qin Ruoshui sneered, revealing his true feelings, “Perhaps they’re afraid of losing a small realm for training, and worried about everything getting out of their control.” He gazed at Yan Shouxia and added, “Since everything is normal, let’s keep it that way and not let any more changes occur.”
Yan Shouxia met Qin Ruoshui’s gaze and understood his meaning, immediately raising an eyebrow with a smile.
At the edge of the world, the Great Whirlpool was shrouded in heavy clouds.
The swirling tides and the lightning falling from the sky seemed to want to overturn the world.
Nine chaos beads floated in mid-air like nine bright lamps illuminating the surroundings.
They continuously absorbed the chaotic energy dispersing around them, while Li Jingyu used her own Dao techniques to separate the yin and yang.
Initially, she was countered by the yang energy, and even her protective artifacts couldn’t withstand it.
However, as the divine dragon shadow in her Mind Palace spontaneously manifested and devoured the scattered extreme yang energy, she no longer felt such pain.
Yet, this deepened her connection with Ji Yutang, as the external manifestation of the divine palace they visualized intertwined, equivalent to dual cultivation over the years.
Ji Yutang had no time to spare for other matters.
Her mind was immersed in the Dao rhythm, as if she could reach out and touch the high place.
She repeatedly used the Dao rhythm to observe the artifact within the Great Whirlpool, and as she watched, the artifact gained an additional layer of energy and reference, evolving intensely.
After several years of nurturing, it would be able to emerge from the Great Whirlpool.
The Xuanming Yin Region of the North Sea had a complete Great Whirlpool, and at her level, she couldn’t gain much from it.
However, the Great Whirlpool in this small realm was incomplete, full of loopholes.
When the heavenly mechanism is flawed, there will be changes.
Cultivators pursue the “Dao” in change; otherwise, if the heavenly order never changes, it would be a stagnant pool, and no one could move upward.
The chaos gradually changed, and the artifact also transformed bit by bit.
Once the concealment was lost, it naturally began to reveal itself in the Chaos Shadow Realm.
Not only the cultivators stationed here but even the people of this realm sensed the changes and were eager to “seek treasure.”
The Three Supreme Palaces and the righteous path originally planned to send disciples, as many people had free time after the reduction of chaotic creatures.
But before they could set out, the Beihai Demon Cultivators and Demon Sect cultivators pressed in, as if ready to seize the station once they moved.
With this threat and the persuasion of dissenting disciples, those with restless minds calmed down.
However, they couldn’t just give up, so they placed their hopes on the Daoists of this realm.
Apart from not wanting to worship the “Dao ancestor,” they had no major differences in Dao thoughts and got along very well.
Twenty Daoists from the Chaos Shadow Realm set out, most of them at the Foundation Establishment stage.
With the changes in the sun and moon, the dangers on Chiyuan were not limited to chaotic creatures; there were other threats as well.
By the time they crossed thousands of miles and found the edge of the world, two years had passed, and only two female cultivators, Ruan Zhensu and Yun Qingyi, remained.
The black clouds rolled, lightning struck, stirring a vast and terrifying spiritual energy, making it feel extremely dangerous even from a distance.
“Is there really a supreme treasure hidden here, as those seniors said?” Ruan Zhensu turned to Yun Qingyi, her eyes filled with worry.
The overwhelming aura was so immense that even after entering the Dao path, she still felt incredibly small.
“The bright light flickers, there should be a treasure light,” Yun Qingyi thought for a moment and added, “Those seniors rotate every nine years.
Now they allow us to worship the ancestor gods, but if it’s a different group, it might not be the same.
They are indeed our seniors, but we also need to have our own Dao.
If we can find a protective treasure, perhaps we can safeguard ourselves.”
Ruan Zhensu nodded, “You’re right.” She looked ahead with concern and whispered, “We’ve already paid too much for this.” Are they greedy for treasures? No, they just want to find their own path.
Those Daoists seem gentle, but ultimately, they are outsiders, different from themselves.
As Ruan Zhensu and Yun Qingyi gazed at the Great Whirlpool, Li Jingyu also noticed them.
She didn’t see the aura of Jiuzhou on them; instead, there was a strange connection with herself.
Li Jingyu quickly realized that these were people of this realm who had achieved something.
However, whether it was Dao techniques or treasures, they were not as good as ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples of Jiuzhou.
She pondered for a moment, transmitted a few words to Ji Yutang, and then manifested a Heavenly Maiden Dharma Form, holding a full moon in her left hand and nine round beads in her right.
Ruan Zhensu and Yun Qingyi were startled when they saw the Dharma Form, their expressions uncertain.
Yun Qingyi reacted quickly, bowing to Li Jingyu’s Heavenly Maiden Dharma Form, “Greetings, ancestor god!” Although she worshiped the sun and moon, she always focused on the moon god.
At this moment, her heart moved slightly, clearly recognizing the aura.
Since this was the sacred mountain where the ancestor god resided, was the treasure the ancestor god’s artifact?
Li Jingyu didn’t speak.
Her gaze fell on Ruan Zhensu, and with a flick of her wrist, the nine clear and bright chaos beads flew towards Ruan Zhensu.
In the process of repeatedly separating yin and yang and questioning the Great Dao, the nine chaos beads had also been refined, enhancing their level.
They would continue to advance in the future, but it depended on the small realm and the owner’s fortune.
However, all the yin energy had been extracted, leaving only the extreme yang energy, which was not suitable for those who worshiped the moon god and cultivated the Dao of the moon.
At this moment, Ji Yutang also cast her gaze over.
Her eyes paused briefly on the Heavenly Maiden Dharma Form, then she imitated the form, manifesting her own.
A divine dragon coiled around her, and she held a fierce sun in her hand.
She didn’t have many artifacts to pass on, but just then, she sensed the artifact in the Great Whirlpool vibrating.
With a thought, she captured the artifact that was surfacing.
Two streams of light came one after the other, one a Heavenly Seal of Morality, the other a Dao-bearing Stele.
Ji Yutang put away the Heavenly Seal of Morality, pointed forward, and sent the Dao-bearing Stele into Yun Qingyi’s arms.
The Dao-bearing Stele was formed by her gaze falling with the energy of the Great Dao, containing the fundamental principles of the Great Dao of this realm.
Anyone with insight could find their “root” from the fundamental Dao, representing the foundation of the Dao in this realm.
The two said nothing, directly dispersing their forms, but Ruan Zhensu and Yun Qingyi firmly remembered this scene, bowing to the edge of the world before quietly returning.
“After the artifact was born, the chaotic energy finally dissipated.”
“The nine-year cycle is about to arrive.”
Two voices sounded simultaneously.
Li Jingyu looked at Ji Yutang and smiled freely, following her words, “When the great path is clear, chaos naturally divides.”
Ji Yutang frowned and said, “But that power is borrowed after all.” She was using the great path to resist the order of heaven and earth, yet she herself was far from reaching that level.
However, after a moment, she relaxed her brows, “But the benefits in this process are endless.”
Li Jingyu laughed, “Of course.” After a pause, she added, “Are you heading back to the North Sea base next?” Ji Yutang replied, “Yes, I need to take them back.” Although she said she was bringing the North Sea demons here for training, in reality, she spent most of the nine years with Li Jingyu, relying on talismans to communicate with the base.
After a silent sigh, she didn’t look at Li Jingyu again, instead pondering over matters after returning to Jiuzhou.
– Jiuzhou.
Brilliant lights descended from the clouds, and faint cracks appeared between heaven and earth.
Normally, the Xuan and Mo paths wouldn’t deliberately pay attention to disciples going to the Chaos Shadow Realm for training, but this time, the gaze of several Yuanshen realm true people fell on the cracks.
After all, it was easy to find out that both the Xuan and Mo paths suffered heavy losses, and they were eager to get accurate information from the disciples.
Months later.
A thunderous explosion came from the sky, countless streams of light fell like meteors, leaving red streaks across the firmament.
In the south, a ferocious white bone demon figure manifested, while in the east, a book surrounded by a righteous aura floated.
Moments later, a sword intent tore through the sky, slicing the red streaks in half.
The sword intent was sharp and unmatched, causing the cultivators hidden behind the clouds to change their expressions.
However, just as the sword energy was about to reach the north, a dragon tail shimmering with brilliant golden light slapped down, shattering the sword light.
“Yuan Tong—” a voice gritted out from within the clouds.
The Dragon Lord was the first to reveal his true form, standing amidst the dazzling light, sneering at the person, “I’m here to seek revenge for her.”
With these words, everyone fell silent.
After the Ran Family incident, who wouldn’t know that the “her” the Dragon Lord referred to was actually Li Qingxun.
Just as the Yuanshen true people were at a standoff, even more brilliant light emerged, and figures walked out from the radiance, surrounded by clear energy, clearly disciples of the Immortal Sect.
Seeing them about to return to their respective territories, the white bone figure grabbed at the air, letting out a malicious laugh.
The Immortal Sect cultivators, always wary of the Demon Sect, immediately struck back, demanding, “What is the Tianhai Demon Sect trying to do?” The demon figure loudly replied, “You slaughtered our Demon Sect disciples in the Chaos Shadow Realm, we naturally have to retaliate.”
The Immortal Sect cultivators were furious, “Do you think we suffered no losses? This is ultimately a matter for the disciples—” Before they could finish, the Demon Sect cultivators attacked again.
Normally, they wouldn’t interfere in disputes between disciples, not out of respect for any rules, but out of fear of the Eight Great Immortal Sects’ despicable Taoists.
But now that the Demon Ancestor had returned, did they still need to hold back?! Naturally, they wanted to vent their anger, and if they could crush those Immortal Sect talents, all the better!
