Chapter 942: Chapter 936: The Dao Seed
[Your descendants, Li Changsheng and Li Changyao, together with the Old Tree, captured the weakened Huan Gui and Taotie, suppressing them within the Old Tree’s body. Inside, they discovered Tian Xing, who had been suppressed for hundreds of years…]
[Your descendants, Li Changsheng and Li Changyao, intercepted Imperial Concubine Ji halfway as she attempted to escape.]
“Brother.”
Li Changyao looked towards the Thunder-Fire Devil Cave, now teeming with powerful experts following the events at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
It was truly a miracle that these fellows were mixed together without fighting.
“If Min Tiange knew that we siblings had ruined his plans, he would surely hate us enough to want to tear out our tendons and bones.”
“It is fortunate that Li Yuanshang went to seek out Zhao Guang, allowing us to learn that the Dao Seed originated from Azure Mist Mountain.”
Li Changsheng chuckled,
“Since the source is Azure Mist Mountain, then even without the Dao Seed in hand, Tian Xing must know the method to dispel it, having inherited Baimei’s Daoist legacy.
No matter how profound Min Tiange’s schemes may be, he would never anticipate that a wretch like Tian Xing is still breathing.”
With a shift of vision.
Within the internal world of the Old Tree, amidst that vast and desolate expanse, Tian Xing lay in anguish, enduring an eternity of loneliness and torment.
He had divulged the method for removing the Dao Seed; his sole reward was three bowls of utterly ordinary noodles placed beside him. Perhaps having lain there for ages, he scrambled up in a hurry.
A single mouthful of noodles left his face streaming with tears—the sensation of food was the only tangible proof that he was still alive.
At this moment, Imperial Concubine Ji was inquiring of Li Yaoqing.
Feeling as if she had been reborn, Imperial Concubine Ji saw that Li Yaoqing remained silent and hurriedly added,
“Medicine Master, after I encountered Min Tiange, the Dao Seed was planted within me, and I was sent into the Imperial Palace.
Aside from the palace, the world is vast, yet I know not where else to go. By a stroke of fortune, I met your clan’s Changsheng and was able to have the Dao Seed removed.
I owe the Li family a debt of gratitude. If I return to the palace, I can pass on intelligence to your clan.”
Imperial Concubine Ji’s flight served another purpose—she was the first test subject for Tian Xing’s method of removing the Dao Seed.
Furthermore, it was because she had contacted the Grand Tower that Holy Monk Yidian was able to cease hostilities with the True God and lead the members of the Grand Tower to escape.
Li Yaoqing pondered for a moment. “Imperial Concubine Ji, do you truly intend to return to the Imperial Capital? And after you denounce them, what then?”
“This…” Imperial Concubine Ji froze.
Li Yaoqing continued, “Can you truly evade the eyes and ears of the Peerless Hall? Even if you manage to denounce them, can the current Human Emperor still suppress Min Tiange or Min Youguo?”
Imperial Concubine Ji fell silent.
She had served the Human Emperor for twenty thousand years. When she last saw him—that supreme figure of the mortal world—he no longer possessed the majestic bearing of the past; he seemed to have aged overnight.
“If you reveal yourself, there is no escape. We do not even dare to take you back to the City of Merit.”
Li Changyao’s expression was cold.
“We were only able to break your Dao Seed by seizing a moment of Min Tiange’s negligence.
Now that the seed is broken, Min Tiange will inevitably be on guard.
He has cultivated for tens of thousands of years and is a monstrous existence rarely seen in this world. We absolutely cannot take the risk of being discovered by him again.”
“Amitabha. The Benefactor speaks the truth.”
A deep, resonant voice rang out.
It was Holy Monk Yidian. The monk pressed his palms together and cast a grateful look at Li Changsheng.
“I thank the Benefactor for removing these shackles from this poor monk. Through this karmic fortune, this poor monk is certain to attain the Bodhi Fruit in the future.”
Imperial Concubine Ji required persuasion, but Holy Monk Yidian needed no such counsel.
This old monster had lived for countless years; if he didn’t know how to handle this situation, that would be the real anomaly.
Li Changsheng felt more curiosity than anything else. He returned the gesture, pressing his palms together, and asked:
“Holy Monk, with your profound cultivation, how did you also fall victim to Min Tiange’s Dao Seed? Is Min Tiange truly so powerful that he has reached such a level?”
“Alas.” Holy Monk Yidian sighed deeply.
“This poor monk has served His Majesty for many years. Long ago, I suffered an injury, and Min Tiange seized that opportunity to strike.
On one hand, I held the status of a mander in the Immortal Suppression Department; on the other—precisely because the Department has such a thorough grasp of intelligence across the world—I became the Master of the Grand Tower, carrying out dirty work on Min Tiange’s behalf.”
“So that explains it.” Li Changsheng came to a sudden realization.
“Then, during the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems…”
Holy Monk Yidian nodded slightly.
Hearing this, Li Yaozu raised a brow.
He suddenly understood why Holy Monk Yidian had disregarded the Immortal Suppression Department’s orders and charged in first during the battle at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
He was trying to give the Mountain a chance to survive—signaling the Department’s arrival early so they could flee.
At the same time, he did not wish for the people of the Immortal Suppression Department to step into Min Tiange’s trap.
As the crowd spoke, their gazes were suddenly drawn into the distance.
They saw Huan Gui radiating murderous intent.
Li Tianyi lay on the ground, clinging tightly to Huan Gui’s thigh, his face covered in cold sweat.
“Master, don’t… don’t be impulsive. Let’s talk this over calmly.”
He Hao sat cross-legged on the ground nearby.
The killing intent in Huan Gui’s eyes did not wane; she had witnessed with her own eyes how He Hao and Zhen Wu had joined forces to kill Ling Xu!
Even though she knew He Hao had been manipulated by the Dao Seed, Huan Gui still hated him enough to want to tear out his tendons and skin him alive.
He Hao remained silent and raised no defense; his eyes held only grief.
He had not only killed Ling Xu but also his fellow sect elders and disciples.
Among those elders was a junior brother with whom he had spent his days and nights.
“Let go of me!” Huan Gui glared furiously at Li Tianyi, who was gripping her thigh.
“You deceived me, used my Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, and plotted for my Three Corpses. Do not think that I dare not kill you!!”
Scarcely had her voice faded when blood flowed like water, gradually coalescing into a human shape before Huan Gui.
Li Dalong stood with his hands clasped behind his back, blocking the way in front of He Hao.
Narrowing his eyes, he said, “Your Excellency had best behave. We were able to capture you and release you; naturally, we can also kill you.”
“You…” Huan Gui was furious.
Li Tianyi hurriedly shouted,
“Master, please listen to reason! Martial Uncle’s fate is still unknown.
It was us who saved you! Our enemy now is Min Tiange. If he learns of our affairs, he will not spare a single one of us.
Let’s focus on what to do next. Just look at him—he is already living a life worse than death. What is the use of killing him?”
Huan Gui suddenly calmed down. He Hao, standing behind Li Dalong, was like the living dead.
In killing his fellow sect members, his Dao Heart had also been thrown into chaos; he no longer possessed the cultivation of the Void Refining Limit.
“Crippled waste!” Huan Gui paid him no further mind.
She kicked Li Tianyi aside, leaving him to sit helplessly on the ground and shrug, then walked toward Li Yaoqing.
During this trip to the Thunder-Fire Devil Cave, she had already witnessed Li Yaoqing’s medical expertise.
She did not know what technique Li Yaoqing cultivated, but for injuries on ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, Li Yaoqing needed only to channel her Spiritual power, and they would be alleviated within 20 minutes.
That vibrant life force was truly astonishing.
“Medicine Master, please help treat my younger brother.” Huan Gui’s tone softened.
Li Yaoqing was healing a member of the Grand Tower when she glanced at Taotie.
She had already examined Taotie’s injuries; in her vision, she could see his true form—a colossus standing a thousand meters tall, its indescribable body riddled with wounds.
The sight made her frown repeatedly.
“Fellow Daoist, I am a Medicine Master. I can heal Spirit Beasts, and I can even heal Spirit Plants. But this younger brother of yours…”
As she hesitated, Huan Gui—one of the Four Great Titans of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, a woman who had taken countless lives and could dissect living bodies without her expression changing—was already kneeling before Li Yaoqing.
Li Yaoqing felt no pity. Spending time to save Taotie seemed wasteful; it would be better to let him turn into a corpse so her father could refine him into a zombie.
However, seeing the watery, pleading eyes of the three brothers—Li Tianyi, Li Tianqi, and Li Tianming—Li Yaoqing waved her hand. “He won’t die anytime soon. I’ll give it a try.”
Huan Gui breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Tianyi walked up to her, grinning. “Master, rest assured. The people my Grand-Aunt treats all e out alive and kicking.”
“Hmph!”
Huan Gui abruptly turned her head away, angry at the thought that this disciple had deceived her for so many years.
Seeing that Huan Gui was not throwing a tantrum, Li Dalong frowned.
He truly disliked Huan Gui. It was simply that, having witnessed too many bizarre entities in the Underworld, he could not set his mind at ease regarding her nature.
Xu Cuihua, standing nearby, discerned Li Dalong’s thoughts.
She smiled gently and said, “Husband, since Tianyi saved her, he must have his reasons.
If you are truly uneasy, the abyss within the Devil Cave, where the Devil Lord once hid, is an excellent place to isolate one’s aura.
While Yaoqing treats Taotie, let Huan Gui hide in there. It will also allow us to observe them for a few years.”
“In that case, very well.”
Li Dalong said no more. After all, he could not very well kill Huan Gui right in front of his great-grandson.
He then turned his gaze to He Hao.
Seeing the Sect Master of the Eternal Immortal Sect so heartbroken and his Dao Heart damaged, Li Dalong let out a long sigh.
“Brother He, the Dao Seed has been removed. Why must you torment yourself so?”
“I killed my fellow sect members for no other reason than the cowardice in my heart—I feared losing my own life.”
He Hao’s eyes were listless.
“Now, I have no face to return to the sect, and no face to face Ancestor Lan.”
The Dao Seed had been removed, yet the knot in his heart remained.
Li Dalong looked at Li Tianqi and Li Tianming.
“Tianqi, Tianming, you two are to stop running around outside. From now on, cultivate here in the Devil Cave.
If you have any questions regarding Talismans or Formations, consult Sect Master He often.”
“Yes, Great-Grandfather.”
Li Tianqi and Li Tianming hurriedly nodded. This journey had been incredibly fruitful, and they needed to practice and consolidate their Daoist techniques further.
Li Dalong walked over to Holy Monk Yidian.
Although his Heaven-Piercing Coffin contained the corpse of a mighty figure at the Body Integration realm, standing face-to-face with Holy Monk Yidian, Li Dalong could still feel the immense gap between himself and a living Body Integration cultivator.
It was truly like paring the light of a firefly to the bright moon.
“Holy Monk, may I ask how much you know about the Peerless Hall and Min Tiange?”
Unexpectedly, Holy Monk Yidian shook his head.
“What you know from the Immortal Suppression Department is the extent of this poor monk’s knowledge as well.
However, this poor monk is certain that Min Tiange harbors hidden malice and has his sights set on the Imperial Court.
In his eyes, the entire world is nothing more than a resource for his own advancement.”
Li Dalong took a deep breath. The Li clan had seen plenty of such people.
Whether it was Tianxing, Baimei, Prince Qian, or the Zhao Clan, they were all brimming with ambition, confident that they were the chosen ones of destiny, while regarding the mon people as nothing more than ants.
He asked the Holy Monk, “Holy Monk, what are your plans for the future?”
Holy Monk Yidian glanced at the members of the Grand Tower behind him.
Over three hundred cultivators—it was indeed a formidable force. Yet, not a single one of them dared to show their face in the world again; Min Tiange would never allow them to survive.
Holy Monk Yidian said gravely,
“We can only survive in the shadows. Everyone in the Grand Tower is just like this poor monk—our past actions were not of our own volition. I ask that the Benefactor take us in.”
“Min Tiange is no longer the man he was when he planted the Dao Seed within me. As long as he remains alive…”
Holy Monk Yidian let out a long sigh. “This poor monk dares not show his face in the world again.”
“Is this man truly such a monstrous existence?” Li Dalong’s heart grew heavy.
Holy Monk Yidian closed his eyes and nodded, his dread plainly visible.
In the distance.
Li Xinnian gazed at the members of the Grand Tower and the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems—people so terrified by Min Tiange that they dared not reappear in the world.
A figure slowly walked up to his side.
Sensing the arrival’s aura, Li Xinnian let out a long breath.
“Big Brother, look at us now… we are already over three hundred years old.”
“Mn.”
Su Chen slowly lowered the hood of his black robe, revealing a face weathered by long years of wandering.
“Xinnian, there are some things I cannot explain to you in detail. I have a life-and-death feud with that Min Tiange. No matter what realm of cultivation he reaches, I must kill him.”
“We are the same.”
Under the dim, cloudy sky of the Thunder-Fire Devil Cave, stood cultivator after cultivator who bore a sea of blood and deep hatred against Min Tiange.
They gradually found shadowy corners to sit cross-legged in cultivation, waiting only for the day they could break through the gloom of the Thunder-Fire Devil Cave and stand once more beneath the sunlight.
—
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