Chapter 525

Chapter 525: The Ancestor of Taotie

“Billions of years ago?”

Mu Fanyin’s brow gave a slight twitch.

The time she had been stranded on the Qing Xuan plane was also billions of years ago.

“I don’t remember the exact time now,” Bai Ziqian gave a bitter smile. “I only know that one day, a terrifying power descended from the sky, piercing straight through the entire Taihuang Immortal Domain.”

“In that moment, the Dao worlds of more than ten Dao Sovereigns were pierced through. All I could see was a streak of dark light tearing apart the space of the Taihuang Immortal Domain.”

“Then, that dark light expanded wildly, evolving into the Taihuang Abyss. It insatiably devoured the spiritual energy of the Taihuang Immortal Domain, swallowing the Dao fruits of over a hundred fellow Daoists on the domain.”

“I was among them.”

As the memory surfaced, profound terror colored Bai Ziqian’s voice.

It was an utterly invincible force.

“And that’s it?” Li Ruoyu asked with surprise.

Bai Ziqian nodded. “I lasted but a month before both my primordial spirit and physical body were annihilated. That this single Dao fruit persisted for billions of years is already sheer luck.”

As he spoke, the immortal light radiating from Bai Ziqian grew increasingly hazy and indistinct. His voice also became fainter and fainter.

“Hahaha…”

Far from panicking, he seemed to feel a sense of liberation instead. He looked up to the heavens and laughed heartily, tears streaming down his face. “I’ve truly had enough of this wretched place. Now, finally, I can achieve complete liberation.”

“I thank both of you, fellow Daoists.”

Bai Ziqian rose and clasped his fists, offering a deep bow to them.

His obsessions gradually dissipated.

In the time it took the other two to blink, only an emptiness remained. All that was left was a single shriveled Dao fruit floating in the void.

“So… even a Dao Sovereign is nothing but an ant in the face of such power.” Li Ruoyu murmured to himself, a blazing fire seeming to ignite within the depths of his eyes. “I wonder… how much stronger must one be to stand above a Dao Sovereign?”

His very first day within the Hongmeng Dao Realm, he had learned that the stars in the sky were manifestations of Dao Sovereigns. He had perceived them as lofty and untouchable, the very pinnacle, unrivaled throughout the world.

Only now did he realize they too were merely ants. Larger ants, but ants nonetheless.

“Miss Mu, let’s proceed to the next world.” Li Ruoyu stated.

Mu Fanyin gave a slight nod.

Bai Ziqian’s cultivation base was not considered strong even among the Dao Sovereigns of the Taihuang Immortal Domain. They hadn’t truly expected to obtain much useful information from him.

However, within the Taihuang Abyss, there was certainly more than one remnant of a Dao Sovereign’s Dao fruit.

The pair continued walking towards the next world.

As they traversed deeper, they searched world after world they encountered. Within a mere seven days, both of their Great Dao Worlds were crammed full. There was no longer any space for even one more treasure.

However.

They did not encounter another trace of a Dao Sovereign’s lingering will.

The deeper they ventured into the Taihuang Abyss, the stronger the oppressive energy radiating from its depths became. Any entity capable of surviving further down needed to possess correspondingly higher cultivation strength.

Crack!

On the stone walls of the Taihuang Abyss, scratches covered every inch like marks left by claws climbing, and a greasy sheen flickered vaguely in the darkness.

Invisibly, pairs of eyes hid in the shadows, watching Mu Fanyin.

Li Ruoyu remained calm and composed.

Mu Fanyin was the ruler of the Taihuang Abyss, and by her side, safety was guaranteed.

Roar!

Suddenly, a deep and mighty roar rose from below the abyss, like a dragon’s cry or an ox’s bellow, or more like a baby’s wail. For a moment, it was impossible to tell what kind of beast it was.

“Judging by the sound, it seems to be at the very bottom?” Li Ruoyu said solemnly.

“This abyss conceals many monsters.”

The demons attacking them were born of the Taihuang Abyss, their power terrifyingly formidable.

“Miss Mu, you control the power of the Taihuang Abyss—can you see their true nature?” Li Ruoyu asked.

Mu Fanyin shook her head.

Though she could master the might of the Taihuang Abyss, she herself was still the Sovereign of the World.

Her Divine Sense in the Taihuang Abyss was still restricted.

“This world seems unusual.”

The two of them continued downward.

After the time it took for several incense sticks to burn, they saw a five-colored world. Even in the middle of the Taihuang Abyss, it remained perfectly preserved, seemingly untainted by erosion.

The two stepped into the Dao fruit world.

Looking up, they froze in place.

This world had layer upon layer, totaling ninety-eight in number. But on each layer, there was a massive crack, and countless tentacles stretched down, drilling into ninety-eight Dao fruits.

Looking up from below, they could see a vast mass of flesh covered in endless tentacles perching atop the Dao Realm, ceaselessly drawing power from the Dao fruits.

“Go quickly!”

Without another word, Li Ruoyu turned and retreated.

Roar!

As soon as the two retreated, a huge roar erupted from the world. Layers upon layers of Dao Realms shattered; that monster, with innumerable tentacles flailing about, swept up the ninety-eight Dao fruits, while two tentacles flew toward them.

“Too reckless!”

Mu Fanyin’s face turned frosty.

Boom!

With a thought from her, demonic energy surged forth, coalescing into a demonic blade. In one slash, she split open the large meat mass; the ninety-eight Dao fruits exploded with a thunderous crash, essence scattering everywhere.

“Dead?” Li Ruoyu exclaimed in shock.

Who is the real monster?

"Most of those Dao Sovereigns’ Dao fruits were likely consumed by them," Mu Fanyin solemnly stated. "To uncover the truth, I must descend to the deepest level."

"Daoist friend Li, the dangers below remain unknown to me. You may wait outside."

"No problem."

Li Ruoyu waved it off unconcerned. "We are allies. How could I abandon you here?"

Seeing his resolve, Mu Fanyin ceased her persuasion.

The two headed straight for the lowest depths of the Taihuang Abyss.

Demonic energy surged like tidal waves.

Yet Mu Fanyin moved through it like a fish in water, her Divine Sense gradually extending freely, no longer suppressed.

"Wait."

Suddenly, Mu Fanyin halted, her gaze fixed on a world—a fractured Dao Realm bearing only a single layer.

"There are living beings inside."

She sensed life essence.

"Living beings?" Li Ruoyu‘s heart jolted in surprise.

Anyone surviving at the bottom of the Taihuang Abyss would undoubtedly possess formidable strength.

Without hesitation, Mu Fanyin plunged into the Dao Realm.

Roar!

An earth-shaking bellow erupted.

"It’s that thing!"

Instantly, Li Ruoyu and Mu Fanyin’s eyes turned sharp.

This was the same roar they had heard earlier.

It sounded as if in a baby’s cry.

The pair followed the sound with their eyes.

There.

A colossal beast reaching the heavens was entangled by countless black tendrils. It had a ram’s body, a human face, tiger’s fangs, and human-like claws. Its roar mimicked an infant’s wail, while monstrous magic eyes grew beneath each forelimb.

"It’s a Taotie!"

Li Ruoyu’s expression shifted slightly—one of the Four Foul Beasts.

Legend told that the Dragon bore nine offspring, one of which was the Taotie.

"This Taotie… isn’t ordinary." As Mu Fanyin saw it, a memory surfaced unbidden from her mind’s depths.

"What else could it be?" Li Ruoyu frowned.

This creature was certainly extraordinary; only the most exceptional Dao Sovereign could have reached these depths.

Naturally.

This was because Li Ruoyu’s insight was too limited. If he had known that above Dao Sovereign was the Heavenly Sovereign realm, it would not have been impossible to view the Taotie before him as a Heavenly Sovereign.

"It must be one of the nine sons birthed by the ancestral dragon, the very first Taotie in all existence."

Mu Fanyin’s voice slowly began to change.

It was no longer gentle like water, but cold as ice.

"Ancestor of Taotie?"

Li Ruoyu was astonished and did not notice Mu Fanyin’s change. "Then its strength must likely be far greater. It isn’t dead now, so why not question it?"

"Perhaps it could know exactly what happened when Taihuang Abyss descended."

"Shut up!"

Mu Fanyin snapped.

Li Ruoyu looked dumbstruck and jerked his head aside sharply, but when he glimpsed the icy arrogance and contempt in Mu Fanyin’s eyes, he instantly understood everything.

The other personality within her body had awakened once more.

Li Ruoyu fell silent.

Roar!

The Taotie roared; it had detected two cultivators invading and was struggling desperately, yet the tentacles only coiled tighter, afflicting it with unbearable agony.

Tentacle after tentacle drilled into its flesh and ceaselessly drained its blood qi. Even after hundreds of millions of years, it had not been sucked dry.

"I refuse to yield!"

The Taotie bellowed.

The entire Great Dao World shook and quivered.

It forced open a single eye, peering through a narrow slit. "Young friends, I possess a Heavenly Sovereign body, unrivaled in the world. If you rescue me from this peril, I will grant you dominion and ancestral status, promising eternal freedom!"

Li Ruoyu curled his lip.

Unrivaled in the world, yet it was trapped here?

"Little Taotie, take a good look at who I am."

Mu Fanyin lightly twirled her hair with two fingers, her demeanor persistently disdainful and her tone mocking.

Hearing this, Li Ruoyu’s scalp prickled.

This was the progenitor of the Taotie, son of the ancestral dragon, a being who had attained the Heavenly Sovereign fruit.

An existence far mightier than Dao Sovereign.

Yet given how Mu Fanyin addressed it, her origins were clearly even more outrageous.

Mu Fanyin waved her jade-like hand, and the tentacles binding the Taotie slowly loosened.

The Taotie brightened with joy.

It fixed its gaze intently on Mu Fanyin.

Swish!

In the blink of an eye, its two eyes beneath the armpits shrank to a pinpoint, betraying utter terror and horror.

"It’s you!"