Chapter 135

Chapter 135: Wuyou’s Tribulation

A streak of flowing light shot out from Penglai Immortal City.

The Dao King set off alone for the Shadow Realm.

The Lower Realm was vast and boundless; even the most supreme Emperor Venerables couldn’t journey to every corner of its universe. Within this cosmos existed numerous worlds.

The birth and death of a single world were but a fleeting, dappled beam of light across the heavens.

Most worlds basked in illumination.

Only the Shadow Realm remained perpetually sunless.

The distance between the Spirit Realm and the Shadow Realm spanned a full light-year. Traveling at full speed, the Dao King finally arrived before an eerie nebula after seven days.

Speckled with dim starlight, a world lay hidden within its folds.

The Dao King entered the Shadow Realm.

Faint currents of presence brushed past him, seemingly sensing his arrival. Yet, he concealed his aura, leaving none the wiser.

He retrieved the jade slip. Following the map, he headed for the Tianmu Continent.

Another two days passed before the Dao King reached a domain cloaked in gloom.

In stark contrast to the pervasive darkness of the Shadow Realm, Tianmu Continent harbored the single sliver of light. Still, the thick, roiling demonic energy flowing through the air was overwhelming.

An artificial sun hung suspended in the sky.

Perhaps aged with time and relentlessly corroded by the demonic energy, its brightness had steadily diminished.

The Dao King’s gaze fixed upon this man-made sun. Forged from a star core by a formidable figure, its crafting method was intimately familiar to him.

"The Taixuan Artifact Forging Technique…"

A cold glint sharpened the Dao King’s eyes. "His wisdom is indeed remarkable. The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was right. My master truly is on Tianmu Continent."

"Master," he murmured, "After several hundred millennia, I wonder if you ever thought of me?"

The creation of that sun clearly bore the hallmark of the Taixuan Taihao Divine Classic, undoubtedly the handiwork of the Withered Wood Daoist.

The Dao King’s figure gradually faded from view.

One hour later.

He arrived at a vast mountain range. Demonic energy surged violently here, churning and rolling as if stirred by an invisible hand warping the very rules of this realm.

The mountains sprawled for millions of miles, lush with verdant trees and roaming spiritual beasts. It seemed utterly unlike the Shadow Realm.

It was like a hidden paradise.

The Dao King projected his Divine Sense into the surroundings and smiled faintly. "As ever, Master still loves cultivating his flowers and plants."

This too was manifestly the Withered Wood Daoist’s doing.

Using the power of an Emperor Venerable, he had forcibly remodeled the rules of a vast territory, crafting an environment suitable for habitation and cultivation.

The demonic energy itself, constrained by the formation, had been transmuted into spiritual energy.

The Dao King released his Divine Sense. It radiated outwards in all directions, soon blanketing the entire area, covering millions of miles.

He "saw" an ancient, imposing mountain gate concealed amongst the peaks. Thousands upon thousands of disciples trained there—beings from diverse clans, teaching all learners without prejudice.

Swish!

Suddenly, a gaze from the quiet divine hall made contact with the Divine Sense of the Dao King, and abruptly, that Divine Sense was forcibly severed.

The Dao King did not get angry; instead, he showed a strange smile.

He had not even considered hiding his aura; this was exactly what he had actively revealed.

He wanted to tell the Withered Wood Daoist that he had arrived.

This time, he wanted to give the Withered Wood Daoist ample time to prepare.

The Withered Wood Sect.

An old man with white eyebrows and white hair sat cross-legged in the Withered Wood Hall; the lower half of his body was like a decayed log, connected to the earth, seemingly bound here, unable to move.

The Withered Wood Daoist opened his eyes, his expression full of gravity.

"Can I not avoid this calamity after all?" the Withered Wood Daoist murmured.

His feelings toward the Dao King were complicated.

Among the disciples he had taught, the Dao King’s talent was undoubtedly the strongest; he had long believed the Dao King was the next sect master of the Taihao Heavenly Sect, but he had not expected that the Dao King, with immense ambition, could not wait a moment longer and was driven to kill him and slay his master to seize power.

On that day, the Withered Wood Daoist had half his foundation destroyed, his body obliterated, and his soul shattered.

But he escaped.

He went into hiding in the Shadow Realm under a changed name.

The Withered Wood Daoist lowered his head, looking at his body that was neither human nor demon, his expression heavy.

Last time, the Dao King had severely wounded him, and Duobao Daoist, the master of the Withered Wood Daoist, wielded great magic power and used a strange Seed of Divine Wood to help his soul coalesce.

As time passed, the Withered Wood Daoist’s body merged with the Divine Wood, becoming what it was now.

All this was due to the Dao King.

But the Withered Wood Daoist held no grudge; he blamed his own blindness in judgment for ended up in this state, and he had not considered revenge.

However, the Dao King had come again.

Clearly, the Dao King wanted his life.

"Fuyuan," the Withered Wood Daoist called out softly.

A middle-aged Confucian scholar walked into the great hall.

"Disciple pays respects to Master," Fuyuan, the eldest disciple, bowed respectfully. "What orders do you have, Master?"

The Withered Wood Daoist stared at Fuyuan and said, "Summon the six junior brothers and sisters immediately; have them take all the disciples of the Withered Wood Sect away and leave the Shadow Realm."

"Remember, do not come back."

"What for?"

Fuyuan’s expression underwent a great change. Why suddenly were they asked to migrate?

What about Withered Wood Daoist?

"Your senior brother has arrived," Withered Wood Daoist said slowly.

Fuyuan’s pupils suddenly constricted.

The senior brother, Di Wuyou.

The number one genius and top expert in the Spirit Realm.

Dao King’s name had long been well-known.

If it weren’t for him, Withered Wood Daoist wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.

"Master, he… he’s come to kill you?" Fuyuan’s voice trembled, filled with anger and grief on Withered Wood Daoist’s behalf, and even a trace of fear in his heart.

Di Wuyou was too terrifying.

"Yes."

Withered Wood Daoist smiled and said, "Your senior brother has a will as tough as iron, beyond comparison to ordinary people. His methods are ruthless, his actions decisive. Once he makes a move, he will surely eliminate the root and branch of the problem."

"Go now and gather the disciples. I hope he will spare you out of respect for me and let you leave."

"Master…"

Fuyuan clenched his fists tightly, his expression humiliated.

Ninety thousand years!

A full ninety thousand years.

Among the seven disciples, only one had successfully stepped into the Great Emperor realm.

As for Emperor Venerable, there was none.

Thus, when Dao King descended, not a single person could stand against him.

"Go quickly."

Withered Wood Daoist’s voice turned cold.

"Disciple obeys the command."

Fuyuan’s face was pained as he resolutely departed.

"Master!"

As Fuyuan just went out, another woman in red rushed into the hall in a panic. Seeing Withered Wood Daoist, she hastily said, "The Withered Wood Sect has been sealed by someone."

Hearing this, Withered Wood Daoist fell silent.

"Why must it be done so completely?"

Withered Wood Daoist looked towards the sky, his gaze piercing through the dome, and saw Dao King standing in mid-air, hands clasped behind his back, a white robe fluttering.

Dao King stepped through the air as if walking on flat ground.

"Master, your disciple has always been like this."

With a mere thought from Dao King, a vast formation covering millions of miles enveloped heaven and earth. Divine patterns intertwined in the air, the atmosphere became oppressive and stifling, and a murderous aura soared to the sky.

Since he planned to act, he would spare not a single person. Even a blade of grass or a tree would be annihilated.

This was the principle by which Dao King operated.

"Master, we haven’t seen each other for many years. Let’s catch up."

Dao King landed in front of the great hall. The woman in red, Fuyuan, and a group of quasi-emperors stared at him in terror. Some had already learned his identity, while many others were still bewildered.

However, even if they didn’t know the origin of this person, just by the fact that he had sealed the Withered Wood Sect, he was the enemy of that sect.

Dao King ignored the many cultivators and walked into the great hall.

No one dared to block his way.

He saw Withered Wood Daoist, whose upper body was human—white eyebrows, white hair, and white robes—exuding an immortal aura and permeated with Pure Energy.

However, his lower body was a stump.

He seemed to be rooted to a tree, fused into one whole—half-human, half-tree.

Dao King’s gaze swept over it, and he made no further inquiries.

His vision was extraordinary, so he naturally understood the reason for Withered Wood Daoist’s appearance.

Most likely, it was a method for extending life.

"Master, it’s been a long time."

Dao King spoke.

"Ninety-three thousand two hundred sixteen years and one hundred fifteen days."

Withered Wood Daoist said solemnly.

He remembered that day forever.

Dao King smiled faintly and said, "It seems Master hasn’t turned senile; his memory is as sharp as ever."

"Master, it’s been ninety thousand years since we last met. Please accept this disciple’s bow."

Dao King solemnly adjusted his attire, knelt down on both knees, and prostrated himself with utmost reverence.

"Di Wuyou pays his respects to Master."