Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Change in the Yuan Realm, the Dao King’s Scheme

"Sect Master."

Yue Ji had been waiting outside. Seeing the Dao King emerge from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, she immediately went to greet him.

The Dao King’s expression was inscrutable, impossible to read.

"Could it be that the Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion also didn’t have the information you sought?" Yue Ji asked softly, her voice gentle.

Swoosh!

The Dao King’s gaze, sharp as a beam of sword light, locked onto Yue Ji. In that instant, an overwhelming terror erupted within Yue Ji’s heart; despair and fear instantly flooded her mind.

She had no doubt that the Dao King could kill her in the very next moment.

"This matter does not concern you." The Dao King stated indifferently, shifting his gaze away from Yue Ji. The terrifying pressure vanished. Yue Ji almost couldn’t support herself; her legs slightly bent, and her hand pressed to her chest.

"This servant deserves punishment."

Forcing herself to endure the heart palpitations, Yue Ji proactively asked for punishment.

The Dao King gave her a cold glance and started walking in the direction of Godfall Ridge.

Yue Ji felt as if a great weight had been lifted. The Dao King hadn’t struck her; he wouldn’t trouble her further.

The experience just now had been truly terrifying.

A short while later, he arrived at a small city, but the city was completely deserted, devoid of any people.

Not only this city, but almost every settlement he had encountered on his journey had become similarly deserted, a highly strange occurrence.

"Has some kind of change occurred here?"

Yue Ji’s expression showed confusion. She still recalled some details about the area around Godfall Ridge from her last visit to the Yuan Realm, when she pursued Lin Qianmo and her companions.

While Godfall Ridge was treacherous, it only posed a danger to those who entered it.

The surrounding area had always, throughout the ages, been inhabited by numerous common folk.

How could cities be deserted unless a great change had occurred?

"In just one day’s time, the spiritual energy here has thickened once more." A flicker of understanding passed through the Dao King’s eyes.

Gusu City was also located within roughly one hundred thousand li of Godfall Ridge, and the situation there was extremely similar.

Upon entering the Yuan Realm, the Dao King had sensed the changes in spiritual energy.

Now, these changes were becoming increasingly obvious.

"That should be the source."

The Dao King ascended into the void, gazing towards the mysterious Godfall Ridge. Shrouded in darkness, Godfall Ridge appeared both mystical and sinister. Even with his cultivation level, he couldn’t peer through its secrets.

Yet, he could sense that all changes in the Yuan Realm originated from Godfall Ridge.

"The transformation of the Yuan Realm is about to begin."

The Dao King murmured to himself.

He had previously communicated with the upper realm, and the Ancestor from the Immortal Realm had spoken to him: the Yuan Realm was on the verge of a momentous change unseen in tens of millions of years, fraught with unimaginable fortunes.

That day was fast approaching.

Princess Yue frowned slightly. The legend of the Yuan Realm originated from that great figure, revered as the ancestral home. But after the Primordial Era, the status of the Yuan Realm plummeted.

By this day and age, it could only rank near the bottom among the myriad realms.

"Halt!"

Dao King and Yue Ji pressed deeper, but just as they approached Godfall Ridge, two cultivators at the Dao Palace stage blocked their path.

Judging by their robes and attire, they were disciples of the Red Dust Demon Sect.

"Both friends, the strangeness from Godfall Ridge is spreading. For safety’s sake, an area of a hundred thousand miles around has been sealed off, prohibiting all entry or exit. We hope you understand," explained an elder among them.

"Seems a man of compassion," Dao King said with a laugh.

Would an Emperor Venerable, one of the peak powerhouses of the mortal world, be ignorant of Godfall Ridge’s strangeness?

To seal a hundred thousand miles of heaven and earth with such great magic could indeed only be done by someone who cared for the common people.

"This formation is far too crude."

Yue Ji’s Divine Sense scanned the heavens and earth, sensing one divine pattern after another, like iron chains across a river, entirely sealing the hundred-thousand-mile perimeter.

It could block Sages, but it couldn’t block them.

"This is merely a temporary measure."

Dao King’s expression remained indifferent. "The longer time passes, the faster the strangeness of Godfall Ridge spreads. Sooner or later, it will erode the seal and spread throughout the Southern Wilderness."

"This probably isn’t a major issue either."

Yue Ji’s tone grew grave. "After all, the Southern Wilderness holds a Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

"The means of the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion would surely make suppressing the demons emerging from Godfall Ridge as easy as turning over his hand."

Dao King laughed scornfully.

Why would a profiteer do something with no gain?

They vanished into thin air.

Leaving the two Red Dust Demon Sect Dao Palace stage princes dumbstruck.

"How did he vanish?"

"Didn’t see."

"Probably some potentate drawn to see the strangeness and seal over Godfall Ridge."

"Ever since Heaven’s Secret Pavilion manifested, the number of powerhouses in the Southern Wilderness has multiplied. Before, we could stride unhindered with our level of cultivation. Now, it’s no longer enough."

The two heaved deep sighs.

…

Dao King and Yue Ji plunged into the Sea of All Realms, swimming against its currents.

Three days later, they returned to the Taihao Heavenly Sect.

Although he now had leads on Withered Wood Daoist, Dao King was in no hurry to commit patricide.

The Spirit Realm contained nine continents.

The Taihao Heavenly Sect exclusively claimed territory across four continents.

Penglai Continent, Penglai Immortal City.

The entire divine city was floating between heaven and earth, veiled in clouds and mist, with cranes soaring across the sky, resembling an immortal paradise.

This city was the mountain gate of the Taihao Heavenly Sect.

Inside the Taihao Divine Hall,

three golden robe elders were already waiting.

"Sect Master."

As the Dao King entered the great hall, the three elders bowed immediately.

"At ease."

The Dao King swept his sleeve and settled upon the sect master’s throne.

"Did you eradicate Heaven’s Secret Pavilion during this journey, Sect Master?" The sole female elder spoke up.

"No."

The Dao King shook his head. "That Heaven’s Secret Pavilion holds fathomless depths. Even I cannot perceive its origins. Xiang Liu’s fall is solely because he brought death upon himself."

"Can such an extraordinary figure exist even in the lower realm?"

Another elder spoke, his expression filled with shock and disbelief.

The Dao King’s combat strength already ranked at the peak of the lower realm.

Yet there existed someone even he couldn’t fathom—could this person be a true immortal from the Red Dust?

"He boasts himself as a true immortal from the Red Dust, and his claim holds substance," proclaimed the Dao King solemnly.

"If Heaven’s Secret Pavilion cannot be touched, then why have you summoned us, Sect Master?" The Hall Master’s Elder, who had been silent until now, lifted his head, his murky gaze fixed upon the Dao King.

"Are you aware of Godfall Ridge?"

"Godfall Ridge?"

The golden robe female elder showed a flicker of recognition. "The legendary location where the ancient divine clan of the Yuan Realm was sealed and suppressed tens of millions of years ago?"

The Dao King nodded.

"The seal upon Godfall Ridge has loosened. It is on the verge of breaking. I have already perceived the shifts in the world’s spiritual energy and the rules of the Great Dao. A great change that occurs once in tens of millions of years is fast approaching."

The cultivation bases of these three stood at the Emperor Venerable Realm; they were the highest echelon of the Taihao Heavenly Sect.

Therefore, they were privy to numerous secrets.

The matter of the Yuan Realm’s seal was one such secret.

Each of them trembled visibly; even the Hall Master’s Elder gave a faint twitch at the corner of his eye.

That long-awaited transformation had been anticipated by countless individuals.

Having reached the lower realm’s peak, the next step sought was becoming true immortals ascending to the higher realms.

However, cultivating into a true immortal was a nigh-impossible feat.

The upheaval within the Yuan Realm would surely present them a grand opportunity.

Elders, make your preparations. Dao King’s eyes were sharp. When the upheaval in the Yuan Realm begins, we must also secure a place for ourselves there.

If we are late, we won’t even get a drop of the soup.

There is one more thing.

Sect Master, please proceed.

The three looked at Dao King.

The Heaven’s Secret Pavilion in the Yuan Realm once published a Hidden Dragon List, gathering the talented youths of the Yuan Realm, so I thought of a way to enter the Yuan Realm.

Dao King’s gaze flickered slightly. Let the younger generation enter the Yuan Realm, and then send protectors.

In this way, the Hidden Dragon List serves as a whetstone, not only allowing them to gain experience in the Yuan Realm, but when the upheaval arrives, they can also get a slice of the pie.

Sect Master is wise.

The three elders praised in unison.

You arrange this matter. I have urgent business. You may go now. Dao King waved his sleeve to dismiss the three.

Two elders left, but only the Hall Master’s Elder remained in the hall.

Hall Master’s Elder, do you have something else?

Dao King wore a smile on his face, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Sect Master, this old man once heard from Yue Ji that the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion leaves nothing unturned. I wonder if during your trip, Sect Master, you asked the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to calculate the whereabouts of my senior brother Withered Wood?

Hall Master’s Elder’s gaze was complex as he spoke softly.

Dao King laughed.

Naturally, I did.

He feigned a smile. I have already learned of my master’s whereabouts and will soon go to visit him. Hall Master’s Elder, you miss him so much. Why not come with me to the Shadow Realm?

Hall Master’s Elder sighed softly.

Wuyou, leave a thread in being human.

He and Withered Wood Daoist were fellow disciples of the same generation, making him Dao King’s Uncle Master.

After all, he is your master.

It seems Uncle Master doesn’t want to see him either, but your concern, I will relay it for you.

Dao King’s expression was disdainful.

So-called brothers-in-arms, before life-and-death interests, were nothing but bubbles.

Only interests and strength were eternal.

This was a sentence that Dao King firmly believed in.