Rewrite My Fate to Become the Daoist Ancestor

[The next day.]

[Ao Bing brought Puppet Nezha along and followed Lu Tong to the next examination site.]

[In the distance, the roar of a waterfall could be heard, the mist filling the air with a slight, cool moisture. As they approached, a silver ribbon-like waterfall cascaded down the mountain cliff, spraying water everywhere.]

[By the pool at the waterfall’s base, an old man with a white beard, wearing a cyan Daoist robe, sat cross-legged. Before him, a dozen untransformed little demons sat attentively, listening to the old man’s explanation of the Dao of cultivation.]

[The old man’s voice was gentle yet powerful, reverberating through the valley, creating an extraordinary sense of tranquility and harmony.]

[Ao Bing focused his gaze, scanning over the group of little demons, feeling a slight stir in his heart.]

[Among these little demons were wolves and sheep, leopards and deer—beings that should have been natural enemies now sitting harmoniously together. Although they hadn’t completely shed their beastly appearances, they had begun to take on human form, sitting cross-legged with two feet standing, expressions focused. They wore uniform practice clothes, the fabric rough but clean and tidy.]

[Awakening, Fasting, Transformation—these are the inevitable paths of cultivation for the Demon Race, and the little demons before him were at the critical stage from ignorance to enlightenment.]

[For the Demon Race, Awakening is a rebirth.]

[As "beasts," the Demons, like Human Race "infants," are in a muddled state, driven only by instinct.]

[After finishing his lecture on the Dao, the old man began practice sessions with the little demons beneath the waterfall. The little demons paired up, sparring earnestly, their movements clumsy yet exceptionally serious.]

[The old man occasionally offered guidance.]

[Ao Bing quietly stood above, watching the harmonious coexistence of the Ten Thousand Spirits, teaching them benevolence as if only missing "humans." He developed a keen interest in the white-bearded old man instructing the little demons.]

[Apart from his master and the Dragon King Father, most demons and humans that Ao Bing had seen were competitive and fiercely hostile.]

[Lu Tong, standing beside him, was momentarily lost in thought before pointing to the white-bearded old man and said, "Junior Brother, that is the renowned Great Demon King of a thousand miles around, whose power far exceeds that of an Earth Immortal and is not to be underestimated."]

[Ao Bing hesitated, "But..."]

[Lu Tong said coldly, "Those unlike our kind must have different hearts!"]

[At these words.]

[Ao Bing was slightly taken aback, his fingers unconsciously touching the dragon horns atop his head.]

[He felt a fleeting confusion, his thoughts drifting back to the past. Back then, his father had not yet attained the rank of Daluo Golden Immortal, and as the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon King, due to his incomplete transformation, he always wore a large hood to cover his dragon horns when out in public.]

[First, ordinary people who saw the dragon horns inevitably felt a sense of Fear. It was an instinctual fear. Covering the dragon horns could avoid many unnecessary troubles. Second, the identity of the Dragon Race in today’s world was long past its ancient prestige. On the contrary, in the eyes of some cultivators, the Dragon Race had become a target of covetousness.]

[He was sure now that Uncle Wu Liang and Senior Brother Lu Tong were up to something.]

[Father once said: Mortals feared demons because they knew that demon power far surpassed their own, and their fragile bodies couldn’t withstand it. But cultivators were different; when they saw demons, they would flash with greedy eyes. To them, demons were merely resources for cultivation, a ’shortcut’ to the immortal path.]

[In truth, humans can coexist with the Ten Thousand Spirits, but the Human Race that raises so many chickens, ducks, cattle, and sheep does not fear them. What they fear from start to finish is—the power of demons!]

[The power that threatens their own existence!] The reason the Human Race fears the Demon Race and the source of inequality among the Ten Thousand Spirits is because the empowered are uneducated and naturally enslave the powerless.]

[It’s not merely a matter of race; that’s just an "excuse" for the Immortal Family to hunt the Demon Race.]

[Though the Expository Teaching is a renowned Orthodox Sect, the world is not theirs alone. Their actions must have clear rationale to stand undefeated. Reckless actions give others leverage, inevitably damaging the Expository Teaching’s reputation and stature.]

[Ao Bing previously understood his father’s words only partially. Though puzzled, he hadn’t delved deeper. Now, it was as if he had been enlightened, his mind clear.]

[He murmured softly, his voice almost inaudible even to himself: "So, the division of good and evil in this world is determined like this."]

[Lu Tong, seeing him hesitate, urged sharply: "Junior Brother, are you not going to act?"]

[However, before the words had fully left his mouth, with a loud "boom," Lu Tong’s figure flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into distant rocks. Dust rose, debris scattered, and a deep gorge was torn into the mountainside as if by immense force.]

[Ao Bing stood in place, one hand held at his back.]

[A moment later, Lu Tong slowly stood from the rubble, brushing the dust from his body, stepping towards Ao Bing with a low voice.]

["Junior Brother, what are you doing?"]

[Ao Bing calmly said, "I have already missed once; I cannot make the same mistake again."]

["Junior Brother, don’t you want the Seven-Colored Treasure Lotus to restore your flesh body? In less than a month, your flesh will decay, your soul losing its anchor, and you won’t last long before disappearing."]

[Lu Tong asked.]

["Aren’t you afraid of death?"]

[Ao Bing gently shook his head: "This is not a life-and-death struggle. I do not have the right to take another’s life to extend my own. Moreover, as they have now attained wisdom, in the eyes of Cyan Heaven, all spirits are humans! Please, Senior Brother Lu Tong, stop!"]