Chapter 166 ·Tao Qian

After ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍crawling out of the boundary river, Ling Wuchen simply treated his wounds, changed into a clean set of clothes, and hurriedly departed.

He ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍followed the boundary river southward, planning to find some remote, uninhabited place to enter secluded cultivation and recover from his injuries.

In ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the distance, there were indeed figures of human cultivators patrolling in groups of two or three along the riverbank.

But ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍he had no desire to interact with them.

Over ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍these years, he had struggled through the Spirit Realm and experienced far too many things.

He ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍had once been beaten to death for being too arrogant.

He had also once been betrayed because he trusted others too much.

He understood it all too clearly.

In this world, demons were frightening, but humans were equally frightening.

Sometimes, humans were even more terrifying than demons.

If demons wanted to eat you, at least they did so openly. They opened their mouths and bit, stretched out their claws and tore.

But when humans wanted to harm you, they often smiled while calling you brother, only to stab a knife into your heart the moment they turned around.

Yet no matter how cautious he became, he still suffered plenty of losses.

Sometimes Ling Wuchen thought about it and felt that the fact he had survived until now truly meant his life was exceptionally tough.

So now, he had learned his lesson.

When he saw human cultivators, if there was no need for interaction, then he avoided them whenever possible.

It was not that all cultivators were bad people.

But he could not afford to gamble.

Especially in his current condition.

Covered in injuries, dressed in ragged clothes, and having just crawled out of the boundary river—no matter how one looked at it, he appeared suspicious.

If someone treated him as a demon race spy and captured him, then even jumping into the sea would not wash him clean.

He understood very clearly that whether it was the major powers of the Eastern Continent or the sect forces of the Central Lands—

They never bothered with conclusive evidence when handling matters.

If someone looked suspicious, they would first capture and interrogate them.

If nothing came from the interrogation, then they would interrogate them again.

By the end, even if you were innocent, half your life would already be gone.

Ling Wuchen had no desire to place his life in someone else’s hands.

Thus, after walking along the riverbank for some distance, he turned into a mountain ravine, planning to cross the mountain ahead and circle toward a more secluded location.

However, human calculations could never match the heavens’ arrangements.

He had only just entered the ravine when he directly encountered a patrol squad of cultivators.

Five cultivators, all dressed in identical green Dao robes, with a mountain peak pattern embroidered upon their sleeves.

Ling Wuchen’s footsteps halted as he cursed inwardly.

He had deliberately chosen a deserted route. How had he still run into people?

Those five cultivators also noticed him and stopped walking.

The leader was a man around thirty years old, pale-faced and beardless, though his eyes carried a calculating sharpness.

The five examined Ling Wuchen from head to toe.

The leader spoke first, his tone unfriendly.

“Who are you? Where did you come from?”

Ling Wuchen sighed inwardly.

Exactly what he feared had arrived.

He cupped his hands.

“I am merely a loose cultivator traveling from the Southern Region, simply passing through this place with no ill intentions.”

“A loose cultivator? Passing through?” The man sneered as his gaze repeatedly swept over Ling Wuchen.

“You came from the Southern Region, so why did you end up beside the boundary river? The Southern Region isn’t even in this direction.”

Ling Wuchen replied, “I was cultivating within a secret realm and lost my direction upon exiting, accidentally arriving here.”

“A secret realm?” The man narrowed his eyes slightly and exchanged glances with the others.

“What secret realm? Where is it located?”

Ling Wuchen frowned.

“It was merely an unnamed minor secret realm. After exiting, I could no longer find it.”

The man continued pressing.

“Couldn’t find it? That explanation doesn’t sound very convincing.”

A young cultivator nearby interrupted.

“Senior Brother, look at him. Covered in injuries and coming from the boundary river’s direction. Could he be a spy from the demon race?”

This speaker did not genuinely suspect Ling Wuchen of being a spy. He simply wanted to deliberately cause trouble.

They were disciples of the Yunlan Sect from the Central Lands.

Within the Central Lands, Yunlan Sect counted as neither large nor small. The sect ancestor was at the Great Ascension Realm.

The sect could not really be called demonic, yet it was hardly righteous either. Their style had always been overbearing, and their disciples walking outside always acted arrogantly with noses pointed toward the sky.

Recently, due to threats from the Burning Heaven Dynasty in the Northern Plains and the demon race of the Western Wasteland, the major sects of the Central Lands had united together, organizing patrol forces along the boundary river to prevent demon infiltration.

Every sect had to contribute manpower and effort, and Yunlan Sect was naturally no exception.

These disciples had been assigned this miserable task.

Patrolling was dull and tedious, exposed constantly to wind and sunlight, while offering no benefits worth mentioning. They had long become dissatisfied.

Now that they encountered a wounded and suspicious loose cultivator, naturally they wanted to amuse themselves a little.

As for whether that amusement meant interrogation, deliberate harassment, or directly capturing him for merit and rewards—that depended entirely on their mood.

Ling Wuchen understood this immediately, and instead became calmer.

Currently, he was severely injured and could not even display one-tenth of his cultivation.

Although these five were merely at the early Nascent Soul stage—normally, he could eliminate all of them with a single sword strike—but now...

A direct confrontation was not wise.

Moreover, even if he dealt with these five, once they sent out a signal, patrol squads from all directions would converge. Where could he possibly escape?

Ling Wuchen took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.

“Fellow Daoists, I truly am only passing through and am absolutely not a demon race spy. If you are still concerned, I am willing to cooperate with questioning.”

He had already decided internally.

First stabilize these people, then find an opportunity to escape once they relaxed their guard.

Hearing this, the leading man appeared somewhat surprised.

“At least you’re sensible. Fine then, hand over your storage bag first so we can inspect it.”

Ling Wuchen’s heart sank.

His storage bag?

It contained everything he possessed after all these years.

Pills, spirit stones, magic treasures, and the ancient sword art he obtained within the secret realm.

If those items fell into these people’s hands, would he ever get them back?

He looked at the five of them.

Five pairs of eyes stared at him, carrying traces of mockery and greed.

Ling Wuchen suddenly found himself rather laughable.

Being chased around by three Void Refinement demon birds was one thing—that was simply because his skills were inferior.

But if he were controlled by several Nascent Soul trash cultivators, where would a sword cultivator’s dignity remain?

Sword cultivators pursued clarity of thought above all else.

He could temporarily avoid danger and judge situations carefully.

But he would never bow and scrape in humiliation.

That was his bottom line.

Ling Wuchen raised his head. The respectful expression on his face vanished completely, replaced instead by a faint cold smile.

“There is no need for Fellow Daoists to inspect Ling’s storage bag.”

After speaking, he turned and walked away.

“Trying to run? Brothers, seize him! This man is definitely a spy!”

Ling Wuchen did not even turn his head back. He suddenly exerted force beneath his feet while coughing blood as he fled.

The wounds across his body split open from the violent movement, and blood soaked through his robes.

But he no longer cared.

Behind him came the angry shouting of the five men.

“As expected, he’s a spy! Chase him!”

“He’s guilty and panicking! Don’t let him escape!”

“Send the signal! Quickly send the warning flare!”

A red communication flare shot into the sky and exploded into the shape of a conspicuous lotus pattern.

Ling Wuchen glanced back once, his expression turning extremely ugly.

He knew that once this signal was sent, all patrol squads within several hundred li would rush toward this area.

Ling Wuchen clenched his teeth.

He had never imagined that he would actually be forced into this situation by several Nascent Soul trash cultivators.

As expected, when luck turned bad, even drinking cold water could chip your teeth.

Previously, when he had been chased for half a day by those three Void Refinement Great Peng birds, he still had not used that Heavenly Secret Void Escape Technique.

After activating this technique, one could borrow the heavenly secrets and worldly qi to instantly teleport oneself to a safe location.

The so-called safety did not refer to a fixed coordinate, but rather was determined by the caster’s own fortune and even the vague will of heaven itself.

Those with profound fortune could arrive directly at blessed lands and grotto heavens.

Those with shallow fortune would at least escape danger.

Simply put, one definitely would not die.

But the price was equally severe.

After using the technique, the caster’s qi and blood would become exhausted, cultivation would regress, and the meridians would suffer damage. At minimum, several years of recovery would be required before restoration.

If one’s foundation was unstable, permanent hidden injuries might even remain.

Thus, when those three demon birds had pursued him earlier, he would rather suffer injuries and resist head-on than use this move.

Yet now, facing several fellow human Nascent Soul cultivators, he had actually been forced to this extent.

A feeling of absurdity rose within Ling Wuchen’s heart.

But he no longer had time to hesitate.

Several streaks of escape light had already appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching this direction.

Ling Wuchen suddenly bit the tip of his tongue, spraying out a mouthful of essence blood while forming hand seals. The aura around his body abruptly surged.

“Heavenly Secret Void Escape! Go!”

A mysterious light enveloped him, and his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

The Yunlan Sect disciples chasing behind arrived only in time to see a fading sphere of light. Ling Wuchen himself had disappeared without a trace.

“He vanished?”

The leader’s expression turned ugly as he spat fiercely.

“What rotten luck! The merit that was already in our hands escaped.”

A young cultivator spoke resentfully.

“I was hoping to capture him and force a confession under torture to make him admit to being a spy. At least we could’ve exchanged that for some spirit stones and pills.”

“Junior Brother!” The leader’s expression changed immediately.

He glanced around and lowered his voice.

“Watch your words, Junior Brother! What do you mean by force a confession under torture? That man was clearly a spy. We were carrying out official duties.”

“Remember this—we are now members of the Central Lands Human Righteous Alliance. We must pay attention to our words and actions.”

“Not only is the sect watching us, but the Alliance is watching too.”

The young cultivator shrank his neck and hurriedly corrected himself.

“Senior Brother is right. Junior Brother misspoke. That man truly was a spy. He just escaped too quickly.”

“Enough, enough.” The leader waved his hand dismissively.

“If he escaped, then he escaped. We’ll just report that we discovered a suspicious figure fleeing southward and tell the other squads to continue pursuit.”

The group cursed while turning around and leaving.

The so-called Central Lands Human Righteous Alliance was a united organization established by the major sects and imperial forces of the Central Lands to resist the threats posed by the Burning Heaven Dynasty of the Northern Plains and the demon race of the Western Wasteland.

Within the Alliance were righteous sects, morally ambiguous sects, and the forces of various immortal dynasties. A chaotic mix of dragons and snakes, each harboring their own ambitions.

On the surface, they appeared united against external enemies.

But secretly, everyone calculated for themselves and schemed against one another.

Within this Alliance, Yunlan Sect was merely an insignificant minor player.

......

Several hundred li away, somewhere within a remote wilderness.

Within several hundred li there were no signs of human habitation. Only a short thatched cottage stood alone beside a field.

Unknown crops grew within the field, their leaves thick and emerald green.

Ling Wuchen’s figure suddenly appeared before the thatched cottage before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

His entire body was drenched in blood, his face pale as paper, already unconscious.

The instant he appeared, a pair of eyes inside the thatched cottage suddenly opened.

It belonged to a middle-aged man who appeared around forty years old.

His appearance was ordinary, his body thin, and he wore coarse linen clothing.

Mud stained his feet, making him look no different from an ordinary farmer.

But those eyes were so deep they seemed to contain an entire starry sky.

The man stood up and walked outside.

Lowering his head to look at the unconscious Ling Wuchen on the ground, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

He did not immediately save him, but instead performed a calculation with his fingers.

A moment later, he shook his head and smiled helplessly.

“Heavenly Secret Void Escape... This kid has some fortune after all. Not only did he obtain this secret technique, he even escaped all the way to my place.”

Squatting down, he examined Ling Wuchen briefly.

“His sword dao aptitude is rather good.”

After thinking for a moment, he grabbed Ling Wuchen by the collar with one hand, lifting him up like a chick before carrying him to the field.

Then he directly buried Ling Wuchen into the soil.

Only his head remained exposed.

Naturally, this was not because he intended to use Ling Wuchen as fertilizer.

This was his personal healing method.

The soil within this field was Nine-Revolution Creation Spiritual Soil that he had spent several hundred years cultivating. It contained extremely rich vitality and spiritual energy.

When a heavily injured person was buried within it, the vitality inside the spiritual soil automatically seeped into the body, repairing meridians and nourishing qi and blood more effectively than any medicinal pill.

The crops planted within this field also grew so lushly because of this spiritual soil.

After finishing, the man patted the dirt from his hands, returned to the front of the thatched cottage, moved over a bamboo chair, and sat down.

He raised his head to look at the sky, then lowered it to glance at Ling Wuchen’s exposed head within the field, his expression calm and indifferent.

He had always remained unmoved by worldly affairs.

Unless danger affected this region, he would not interfere.

As for the Demon Venerable of the Northern Plains, the Demon King of the Western Wasteland, or the Alliance of the Central Lands... he was too lazy to care about any of it.

His mind had never been focused on such matters.

The man’s name was Tao Qian.

This was the name he chose in this lifetime.

He established a Dao field within this remote corner, farming and cultivating day after day.

He had already reached the Transformation Spirit Realm one hundred years ago, and his cultivation still remained at this realm now—not because he could not advance further, but because he deliberately suppressed his cultivation.

This was because he hid a secret within his heart.

If one could become the master of a Dao while still at the Transformation Spirit Realm, then upon one day ascending once more to the position of Immortal Emperor, or even upon reaching the Human Immortal Realm, unimaginable supreme benefits would be gained.

And the so-called “Dao Master” referred to the origin of a Dao, the source to which all techniques returned.

Among the three thousand Great Daos, every single path could produce a master.

But each Dao could only have one master.

Once someone became the master of a Dao, later generations would no longer have any chance.

Now, the Sword Dao already had a Sword Master, the Saber Dao had a Saber Master, the Spear Dao had a Spear Master, the Fist Dao, Talisman Dao, Pill Dao, Formation Dao...

Tao Qian counted on his fingers and realized that nearly every Great Dao he could think of already had someone occupying it.

But he discovered that one Dao still remained completely untouched.

This Dao was not some path of slaughter, nor some longevity path, nor some merit and creation path.

This Dao had been named by him as—

The Great Dream Dao.

Tao Qian yawned and leaned against the back of his chair, gradually falling asleep.

In front of the thatched cottage, everything remained peaceful.

If someone at this moment carefully sensed the aura on this middle-aged man’s body—

They would be shocked to discover that this person was precisely the sword cultivator who had once comprehended the Supreme Sword Dao Great Divine Ability, causing every sword in the Spirit Realm to bow in worship simultaneously.

This person had even once ventured deep into the Origin of Myriad Swords and directly faced the Sword of All Beings Master himself. Though ultimately defeated, he still retreated calmly and escaped unharmed.

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