Chapter 675: No Need for Righteousness Against the Demon Dao

“It seems she’s entered the Aitira Realm.”

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Xu Yunfan’s lips.

Things were developing just as he’d wished. True Monarch Dong Ming truly hadn’t wanted True Monarch Pu Du to find out, instead planning to seize a Great Realm all for herself.

‘A man whose heart is not content is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant…’

It was a feat even Xu Yunfan wouldn’t dare to imagine, yet True Monarch Dong Ming had the audacity to attempt it.

Xu Yunfan was no match for her in that regard.

Honestly, if he hadn’t cultivated the Linn Character Technique to control his state of mind, and if he didn’t have Sect Leader Zhang Ziyang to guide him, he feared he might have acted just like True Monarch Dong Ming.

He had personally experienced the Aitira Realm—that Great Realm ruled by Divine Spirits, with its unique Celestial Dao Origin.

Although the Three Great Main Gods wielded authority without understanding the true essence of the Great Dao, they were empowered by their native Celestial Dao. Individually, they were comparable to the Golden Core Realm, and their combined might was certainly no weaker than that of a Golden Core Middle Stage True Monarch.

True Monarch Dong Ming was powerful, and her Daoist Techniques were mysterious, but fighting across realms would greatly suppress the Power of her Dao Fruit. She would lose the advantages of time, place, and popular support.

‘A powerful dragon can’t crush a local snake… On this trip, True Monarch Dong Ming is bound to suffer at the hands of those Three Great Main Gods.’

Xu Yunfan was certain of it.

He wasn’t worried about Dong Ming’s safety. With her methods, self-preservation was guaranteed. However, if she wanted to stir up trouble and reap a massive harvest, it probably wouldn’t be so easy.

He was happy to see it happen.

Only by hitting a wall in the Aitira Realm would Dong Ming place more importance on cooperating with him, her guide.

After all, only the two of them knew that True Monarch Qing Yuan had also been slain. When she returned in a sorry state, it would be the perfect opportunity for another transaction—to obtain the subsequent Golden Core Cultivation Method, and perhaps even more secrets about the Origin of the Aitira Realm.

Xu Yunfan slowly closed his eyes, his Divine Thought sinking once more into the Golden Core and Grotto Heaven Embryo within his Dantian.

His current priority was to comprehend the mysteries of the Golden Core. Although the Attribute Panel assisted him, allowing for permanent gains with a single verification, some progress still required him to confirm it step by step on his own.

Time flowed like water, passing in the blink of an eye.

Winters and summers came and went. Thirty years flashed by.

Xu Yunfan sat cross-legged atop Divine Sky Peak, a cascade of Purple Gold Thunderbolt raining down around him. The Dao Rhyme of his body merged with the mountain’s Origin.

After thirty years of seclusion, his Divine Sky Golden Core had been completely stabilized. Within the Grotto Heaven Embryo, Thunderbolt was born and died in cycles, and with the help of the Attribute Panel, he had faintly touched upon the mystery of lifting it without it falling.

But without a compatible Dao Fruit to connect with, it was all just a castle in the sky, a flower in the mirror and the moon in the water.

With a flicker of his thoughts, his Divine Thought swept over his Dantian. On the surface of the Purple Gold Golden Core, ninety-nine lightning dragons coiled. Inside, the walls of the Grotto Heaven had solidified like a Star Core, and the cycle of Dao Principles governing destruction and creation was gradually forming a system.

On the Attribute Panel, the stability of [Divine Sky Golden Core (Early Stage)] had long since been fixed at 100%, and a new line had quietly appeared below it.

[Grotto Heaven Lifting: 37%]

‘Nurturing the core to transform it into a heaven, devouring a Dao Fruit… the Red Sun Dao Fruit is something I can’t avoid after all.’

Xu Yunfan sighed internally. In this world’s cultivation system, the Dao Fruit was of utmost importance. For a Golden Core Realm Cultivator, from first attaining a Fruit Position and mastering it, to later seizing and devouring others, there was an extremely long path to walk.

According to True Monarch Dong Ming, one had to be extremely cautious when devouring other Dao Fruits. If one were to carelessly refine a Dao Fruit with an incompatible attribute, their Realm would be forever stalled.

Naturally, Xu Yunfan was unwilling to accept such a fate.

His gaze was serene, but his aura was like a storm waiting to be unleashed.

He opened his palm, and a wisp of purple-gold lightning danced upon it. A Thunder Net flickered, a chaotic aura annihilating and regenerating within its weave. His control over the Dao Principles of Divine Sky had reached a minute level of precision.

However, the shackle of “solitary Yang cannot grow” followed him like a shadow. The evolution of his Grotto Heaven was always missing that final push.

It was time to put this matter on the agenda.

—————–

「Deep within the Earth Veins of Red Sun Peak, Wansheng Sword Sect.」

Fierce flames illuminated the cavern like a Melting Furnace, and crimson-gold magma flowed down the rock walls.

Li Guang Ranyan Red Sun True Monarch stood with his hands behind his back, his crimson Daoist robe fluttering without a breeze as the heatwaves radiating from him distorted the space around him.

Across from him, Phecda Star Pivot Sword Soul Profound True Monarch was surrounded by a Formless Sword Spirit, his aura as chilling as Ten Thousand Years Profound Ice, holding its own against the searing heatwaves.

“Thirty years! A full thirty years! That Xu Yunfan has been hiding in the Primordial Sect’s Divine Sky Mountain like a turtle in its shell, not even showing a single hair!”

True Monarch Tong Xuan’s voice was filled with impatience, and the Sword Spirit beside him hummed ominously. “Are we just going to wait here until his Golden Core reaches Great Success and his Grotto Heaven hangs high in the sky?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Without another Dao Fruit, how could he possibly reach Great Success with his Golden Core or hang his Grotto Heaven high? He’s destined to be nothing more than an Early-Stage Golden Core piker for the rest of his life.”

Red Sun True Monarch’s lips curled into a scorching grin, and magma seemed to flow in the depths of his pupils.

“What’s the rush? He just entered the Golden Core Realm; his foundation is unstable. No matter how strong the Divine Sky Dao Fruit is, he’ll need external materials to consolidate his Grotto Heaven. Moreover, to refine his natal treasure into a Spiritual Treasure, he must temper its foundation with the Chaos Birth and Death Profound Light from the Boundary Sea. This is an unavoidable path.”

Seeing that True Monarch Tong Xuan still looked impatient, as if he didn’t want to wait any longer, Red Sun True Monarch pondered for a moment.

He flipped his palm, and a Crimson Crystal Stone appeared, a faint point of light twinkling like a star within it.

“I planted a spy in the Primordial Demon Sect long ago. This Heart-Burning Mirror is connected to his Divine Soul. The moment there’s a large-scale boundary-breaking fluctuation from Divine Sky Mountain, it will send an alert. As long as Xu Yunfan dares to go to the Boundary Sea, he’ll be walking right into our trap.”

True Monarch Tong Xuan’s sword-like brows twitched, and a trace of surprise flashed across his stern face.

“Everyone says Junior Brother Red Sun has a temper like fire and a sword that knows No Return, but I never expected you to be capable of such farsighted schemes.”

“Why bother with honor and integrity when dealing with a Demon Child?”

Red Sun True Monarch sneered, speaking as if it were a matter of course.

“Those from the Demon Sect are as cunning as foxes. Naturally, we must use deception to counter deception.

Once I seize his Divine Sky Dao Fruit and refine it into my own body, I will generate Divine Thunder from Li Fire, and breaking through to the Middle Stage will be just around the corner!

When that time comes, I will naturally fulfill my promise to you.”

True Monarch Tong Xuan fell silent for a moment, and the Sword Spirit around him quieted down.

“I hope you will remember your promise, Junior Brother. To break its shackles, my Star-Pivot Sword Spirit needs to borrow the Pure Yang Fire of your Red Sun Dao Fruit to perform the Yin Yang Sword Spirit Fusion Technique.”

Phecda Star Pivot Sword Soul Profound True Monarch cultivated an Yin Attribute Dao Fruit, so naturally, he needed an Extreme Yang Dao Fruit to balance the Yin and Yang.

“Rest assured!”

Red Sun True Monarch waved his hand, and the fiery waves inside the cavern surged to the heavens.

“We will each take what we need and climb the Great Dao together!”

—————–

「Profound Evil Mountain, Primordial Sect.」

Nine Nether Evil Mist churned, shrouding the entire mountain peak in a cold, decaying aura.

Inside the Bone Jade Hall atop the peak, Nine Abyss Profound Evil Cave Ming True Monarch was slumped against the Profound Evil Throne. Her face, which could once topple nations, was now as pale as paper. Her enchanting eyes were dim and lightless, and her luxurious Profound Evil Daoist Robe was tattered in many places, stained with mottled golden Divine Blood and the residue of dark green Natural Divine Power.

Her aura fluctuated erratically, at times as obscure as an abyss, at others as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

“Junior Brother Xu, please come up the mountain for a talk!”

A Divine Thought laced with exhaustion and anxiety pierced through space, reaching Divine Sky Mountain directly.

Atop Divine Sky Peak, Xu Yunfan slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of Purple Gold Thunder Light vanishing from within them.

‘She’s back?’

Sensing True Monarch Dong Ming’s will—no longer as majestic as before, but instead revealing weakness and urgency—a knowing smile touched the corners of his lips.

“Thirty years. It seems this True Monarch took quite a tumble in the Aitira Realm.”

His figure transformed into a streak of Purple Gold Thunderbolt that tore through the void, arriving at the territory of Profound Evil Mountain in an instant.

The Nine Nether Profound Evil perceptive Imagery that enveloped the mountain now seemed much more sluggish.

The moment he stepped into the Bone Jade Hall, the dense stench of blood and the scorched smell of corroding Divine Power assaulted his senses.

True Monarch Dong Ming was barely sitting upright. When she saw Xu Yunfan, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes, only to be immediately replaced by a deeper anxiety.