Chapter 605: Heavenly Dao Sect (I)
Deep within the mountains, a pale-faced young man emerged from the void and crashed heavily onto the ground.
"Pfft!"
He climbed out of the crater he had made upon impact. His face suddenly flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Only after expelling it did he finally feel much better.
"That place was nothing more than an ordinary trial ground. How could such a powerful yao appear there? Are the sea clan fools incapable of even guarding a spacetime passage properly?" Woo Yiyan said with a dark expression.
His battle with Lin Zheyu had already drained him greatly. To shake off his opponent, he had even resorted to a secret technique. If not for the fact that the yao's overall strength had still been below his own, Woo Yiyan felt there was a very real chance he would have fallen at that creature's hands.
Terrifying combat instincts, astonishing reaction speed, and fierce, overwhelming attacks... What race does that yao belong to? Woo Yiyan wondered inwardly.
He had long since memorized his family's yao bestiary, yet he could not recall any yao matching that appearance. Still, now was not the time to dwell on such matters. His injuries were not severe, but his energy reserves had been heavily depleted, and his bloodline powers were nearly exhausted.
"Xiao Yu... I'll let you live a little longer," Woo Yiyan murmured softly.
The thought that the yao might be connected to Lin Zheyu never even crossed his mind. With a flick of his thoughts, a formation disk flew out from his storage pouch and instantly deployed a formation around him.
***
Lin Zheyu emerged from the barrier. The moment he did, his brows furrowed slightly as he sensed a terrifying aura spreading toward him. Under its influence, the surging demonic qi energy within his body rapidly quieted, and the circulation of his energy became sluggish and restrained.
"Suppression from the world itself?" Lin Zheyu quickly realized.
He was currently in his yao form, possessing the strength of a six-pattern yao. This was nothing like the weak demon puppets he had encountered in the past. The stronger one became, the more terrifying the world's pressure felt, and the greater the suppression imposed upon their power.
I should leave this place first, Lin Zheyu thought.
Although his strength had been suppressed, his formidable physique alone was enough that ordinary Golden Core realm cultivators likely could not even breach his defenses.
With a slight flap of his wings, his body shot forward like a flying sword, vanishing without a trace in an instant.
Two days later, in Yanwu City's Martial Alliance, inside the Profound Light Tower, a burly bald man sat across from Lin Zheyu.
"Honestly, for this mission, just about anyone could have done the job, right?" Lin Zheyu asked with a probing smile.
After witnessing Feng Xuanji's abilities firsthand, Lin Zheyu came to a profound realization. Even with his powerful perception and the golden Heavenly Eye, if Feng Xuanji did not wish to be found, there was no way he could detect her whereabouts. The woman, whose beauty had genuinely taken him by surprise, was shrouded in mystery.
Whether it was her strength or her origins, he could not see through her in the slightest. Moreover, whenever he stood before her and met those deep, vortex-like eyes, he could not shake the uncomfortable feeling that he had been stripped bare and thoroughly seen through.
Lin Xian laughed, "Haha, so you still figured it out. That's right. If Feng Xuanji doesn't want anyone to find her, then only elders who have surpassed the Shackles realm would stand a chance of tracking her down."
"Oh?" Lin Zheyu took a sip of wine and asked curiously, "Then what exactly is her background, and why was I specifically chosen to deliver the item to her?"
After experiencing so many schemes and deceptions, he had come to believe that the cultivator world was filled with hidden calculations at every turn.
Lin Xian smiled mysteriously and said, "We sent you because you happened to be available, and your strength is considerable. The chances of something going wrong were low, and there was little risk of the item being lost. As for Feng Xuanji herself, there's nothing particularly secret about her background. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Dao Sect?"
"The Heavenly Dao Sect?" Lin Zheyu was slightly startled. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he asked, "You mean the Heavenly Dao Sect that has supposedly existed since ancient times and is known as the most powerful sect in this world?"
There was only one Heavenly Dao Sect in the entire world. It was a sect even more powerful than the Heavenly Derivation Sect and was universally acknowledged as the foremost sect under heaven. Its disciples cultivated the Path of Supreme Detachment, sought union with the Heavenly Dao itself, and possessed a supreme inheritance that led directly to the Dao Converging Realm.
Lin Xian smiled and said, "Exactly. Feng Xuanji is a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect."
"Doesn't the Heavenly Dao Sect focus on cultivating Supreme Detachment? Do they also practice powerful divination arts?" Lin Zheyu asked.
"Of course they do." Lin Xian spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "If we're talking about heavenly-secret divination, no sect in the world today can rival the Heavenly Dao Sect."
Because of the unique nature of their cultivation techniques, if a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect did not wish to be found, anyone whose strength did not vastly surpass theirs would have no hope of locating them.
Lin Zheyu gave a wry smile. "If she's a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, then that explains a lot. What I'm curious about is just how strong Fellow Feng Xuanji really is. Even when I use my spirit divine ability, all I see is a layer of fog around her. I can't discern anything at all. It's honestly quite a blow to my confidence."
"If you could really see through her, that would be extraordinary! I don't actually know much about Fellow Feng Xuanji myself. What I do know is that any disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect who is qualified to descend the mountain and experience the mortal world is at least at the peak of the Golden Core realm. They call it heart refinement. Enter the mortal world, pass through the mortal world, emerge from the mortal world, and attain Supreme Detachment. That's one of the Heavenly Dao Sect's methods of refining the heart."
Lin Xian lowered his voice and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Now, this is only a rumor. Don't go saying I told you this, and I can't guarantee whether it's true or not..."
"They say that Fellow Feng Xuanji is walking the path of entering the mortal world while remaining above it. If the right opportunity arises, it's not impossible that she might find a Dao companion and spend a period of her journey together with them." Lin Xian chuckled, his expression turning downright dreamy. "Hehe, if someone could become Fairy Feng Xuanji's Dao companion... ah, that would be absolutely wonderful..."
Seeing a burly man so obsessed with martial cultivation wearing such an infatuated expression felt strangely out of place to Lin Zheyu. Then again, when he recalled Feng Xuanji's breathtaking beauty and her status as a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Sect, he had to admit that the thought was indeed rather appealing.
"Then, hall master, you'd better work hard. Maybe you'll really win the beauty's heart someday," Lin Zheyu teased with a grin.
"Tch, forget it." Lin Xian chuckled and shrugged indifferently. "At least I know my own limits. It's just a pleasant fantasy. Martial cultivation is my true calling in this life."
After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Zheyu returned to his courtyard and settled back into a leisurely yet disciplined cultivation routine. Every now and then, he would head out to complete simple sect missions, earning contribution points while also making some spirit stones to support his expenses.
Otherwise, with how frequently he visited the library to exchange for advanced cultivation manuals, even he would have struggled to keep up with the cost.
***
Time passed quietly. Cultivation knew no seasons, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years had gone by. Throughout that period, aside from completing missions to earn contribution points and spirit stones, Lin Zheyu rarely left the Martial Alliance.
Woo Yiyan never came looking for him again. Whether the man had been occupied with important matters or whether Lin Zheyu had simply managed to avoid him through fortunate timing, he could not tell.
One thing did happen, however. Every month or two, sometimes after several months, the azure-glazed bracelet on his wrist would issue a warning. He had no idea who it was, but someone was clearly still keeping him in mind from the shadows.
Outside Yanwu City, amidst a lush expanse of untamed mountains and forests, two burly figures repeatedly collided in the sky at astonishing speed. Every punch landed solidly, flesh crashing against flesh and muscle against muscle, producing thunderous booms. The terrifying shockwaves generated by each clash spread outward in concentric ripples, expanding across the surrounding landscape.
Battles between martial artists lacked the dazzling dharma artifacts and bizarre secret arts favored by other cultivators. What they had instead were direct, exhilarating clashes of the flesh. Even when they comprehended the rule powers, those powers were usually woven into close-quarters combat and integrated into martial cultivation techniques. That was precisely why cultivators of other paths often referred to martial artists as brutes.
"Fellow Qiu is getting stronger and stronger. He should have completely broken free of one shackle by now, right?" Bai Lin remarked softly while floating in the distant sky.
Zong Linjing smiled as she looked at Bai Lin. "Mhm. Fellow Daoist Qiu has indeed broken free of one shackle, and the faint outline of the second has already begun to take shape. But you're not far behind yourself, are you?"
Cultivators measured time in years rather than days. It had been quite a long while since the few of them had gathered together like this.
Bai Lin smiled faintly as he watched the two fighters. "Just a little more, but I've hit a bottleneck. Continuing to cultivate in seclusion won't help anymore. All I can do now is wait for an opportunity. I'm planning to take on more missions from now on. While accumulating contribution points and earning spirit stones, I'll also search for that chance to break through."
The three of them, Bai Lin, Qiu Kun, and Zong Linjing, had always been among the most outstanding members of the younger generation within the Martial Alliance. Breaking free of their first shackle after two or three years was only natural.
"Mhm. When the time comes, perhaps we'll be able to fight side by side," Zong Linjing said with a faint smile.
She looked toward the two combatants and sighed with emotion. "Fellow Xiao's strength has become increasingly unfathomable. In front of him, Fellow Qiu looks like a child. I doubt he's even managed to force out half of Xiao's true strength."
"Indeed." Bai Lin nodded in agreement as he said, "The more time passes, the less I can see through Fellow Xiao."
He paused briefly before continuing, "The fight's over. Let's head over."
The two moved through the air and flew toward Lin Zheyu and Qiu Kun, whose battle had just ended. Qiu Kun looked utterly miserable. His body was covered in swollen bruises, and two enormous black eyes decorated his face, making him look downright ridiculous.
"Hiss... My friend, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Qiu Kun said resentfully, the corners of his mouth twitching.
He had finally broken free of one shackle and had specifically sought out Lin Zheyu to test his newfound strength. Instead, he had been thoroughly beaten down.
"Hahaha! Fellow Qiu, just look at yourself! Hahaha..."
Bai Lin arrived before the pair and burst into hearty laughter the moment he saw Qiu Kun, covered in bruises and sporting panda eyes. Even Zong Linjing, standing beside him, could not help revealing a faint smile.
"What are you laughing at? If you fought Fellow Xiao, you'd end up in an even worse state than me," Qiu Kun said irritably.
"Not really. The two of you are about the same to me," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile, completely unconcerned.
He was not exaggerating. Even Woo Yiyan, who had broken free of four shackles, had been beaten badly enough by Lin Zheyu to flee using a secret technique. Compared to him, the two before him, who had only broken free of a single shackle, were hardly worth mentioning.
The three of them were rendered speechless immediately. They had always believed themselves to be among the greatest geniuses in martial cultivation, but when compared to Lin Zheyu, they felt completely insignificant. Comparisons truly were enough to drive people mad.
Qiu Kun looked at him curiously and asked, "Fellow Xiao, I've heard that geniuses who awaken spirit divine abilities break free of shackles at an astonishing pace. Be honest. You haven't already broken free of four shackles, have you? I've sparred with Hall Master Lin before, and he's a powerhouse who's broken free of three shackles. But the pressure I felt fighting him was nothing compared to what I felt from you."
At those words, Bai Lin and Zong Linjing both turned to look at Lin Zheyu, their curiosity equally piqued.
"No." Lin Zheyu smiled and shook his head. "It's only been a few years. No matter how talented I am, there's no way I could have broken free of four shackles so quickly. I haven't even broken free of three."
He silently added in his heart, Forget three shackles. I haven't even broken free of a single one. Surprised?
"Maybe you're just too weak. My powerful spiritual pressure probably intimidated you, which is why the pressure felt greater than when you fought Hall Master Lin," Lin Zheyu said with a laugh, casually brushing the matter aside.
"Really?" Qiu Kun asked skeptically.
After thinking it over, he felt there might actually be some truth to it. After all, the man before him was a genius who had opened a spirit divine repository and awakened a spirit divine ability.
Qiu Kun laughed and said, "Come on, let's head to the Profound Light Tower. This time, Fellow Xiao has to treat us. Breaking free of that shackle drained my savings completely."
"That's no problem. I can still afford that much in spirit stones," Lin Zheyu replied with a faint smile.
The four of them rose into the air and flew toward Yanwu City.