Chapter 484: You May Call Me the Ancestor of the Dao

Chapter 484: You May Call Me the Ancestor of the Dao

Li Xuan gently patted Xiao Laotou on the shoulder, his tone remaining gentle as if soothing a restless child, all while appearing natural and casual.

But for Xiao Laotou, this moment felt like facing the awe-inspiring might of the heavens as an insignificant ant.

Even Taicang, the foremost leader of the Seven Great Heaven Masters, had never made him feel this way. Taicang's strength was beyond imagination.

Not only Taicang, but even the one from the Unchanging Temple couldn't elicit such a feeling! The person before him was stronger than both Taicang and that mysterious figure.

Where did such a formidable being come from? The Unchanging Lands? Was there a connection to the Unchanging Temple? Xiao Laotou's heart trembled with shock as his eyes widened, staring at the figure sitting casually in a chair, now leisurely enjoying a pastry.

At this moment, he gave off the impression of a pampered young master being served by beautiful women.

However, Xiao Laotou's heart was quaking. The words of Xu Yan and his companions resurfaced in his mind, and at this moment, he found himself believing them. Perhaps they hadn't been boasting after all.

Xu Yan and the others watched as Xiao Laotou's aura surged, his strength immeasurable. Even an Immortal Sovereign seemed insignificant before him.

They were still marveling at Xiao Laotou's power when, in an instant, the powerful aura vanished.

Xiao Laotou didn't even finish his sentence before falling silent.

Soon after, they saw him standing stiffly, his body and legs trembling as if he had been scared witless. Xu Yan couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Master didn't even do anything, why is he shaking like that? Xiao Laotou, you've got quite a small heart there!"

Meng Chong and the others nodded in agreement.

Master's tone had been gentle, and he hadn't displayed any formidable aura. He had merely calmed Xiao Laotou's aura, yet it had this effect. "This old man has great strength but a weak heart!"

Sulingxiu shook her head.

At this moment, Xiao Laotou's mind was too shaken to pay attention to Xu Yan and the others' discussion. His heart was quaking, and it took him a long time to forcibly calm himself down and regain control of his emotions.

The higher one's realm, the broader one's knowledge, and the deeper one's understanding of the profound terror of such strength. "W-who are you?" Xiao Laotou asked, his voice trembling.

"Little friend, be polite and don't panic. Just keep a calm mind," Li Xuan replied gently.

Suddenly, Xiao Laotou felt two light pats on his shoulder again.

He still didn't notice how Li Xuan had managed to touch his shoulder, and what terrified him even more was that his trembling heart gradually calmed down.

It was too frightening!

What kind of powerful being could achieve such a feat?

Although Xiao Laotou's body stopped shaking and his mind calmed down, he still stood there dumbfounded, unsure how to face this situation.

Li Xuan's face remained gently smiling as he soothed Xiao Laotou's anxious mood. It was merely a display of his abilities; with his strength, how could Xiao Laotou resist the influence of his techniques? Even Taicang couldn't achieve this. It wasn't that Taicang's martial arts were insufficient, but that he lacked such profound and mysterious techniques.

"Are you, senior, from the Unchanging Lands?" Xiao Laotou asked, his tone unconsciously becoming respectful.

"Yes and no," Li Xuan smiled and shook his head.

"May I ask how I should address you, senior?" Xiao Laotou asked, gritting his teeth.

"My name carries too much cause and effect. It's too much for a little friend like you to bear," Li Xuan said with a faint smile, and the aura of the Ancestor of the Dao faintly appeared.

"If you must have a title, then you can call me the Ancestor of the Dao."

Ancestor of the Dao!

Xiao Laotou's mind thundered like a thousand hammer blows, his heart shaking violently, unable to calm down for a long time.

At this moment, he couldn't help but recall some of the things Taicang had said in the past.

Unchanging and formless, the opening of the heavens and the earth, all things in the world are within the highest and most supreme rules that cannot be touched. Life and death, illusion and destruction, all kinds of profound and unfathomable abilities are contained within.

Just like the martial arts he cultivated, they all originated from his own insights into the profound mysteries, and only with great opportunities could wisdom be born from the chaos.

After countless years of hard work, he had barely touched upon this path, but he had yet to firmly stand upon it, let alone walk far. And the path Taicang had spoken of was that invisible yet ever-present, profound and intangible path.

Xiao Laotou was stunned. Taicang had yet to step onto this path, yet this person before him claimed to be the Ancestor of the Dao!

What kind of unfathomable existence was this?

Xiao Laotou's whole body felt dizzy, and he had originally been curious about Xu Yan's master, wondering who was plotting what in the background to have cultivated such a monstrous disciple.

But now, he was shocked beyond words.

Ancestor of the Dao?

At that moment, an image flashed through Xiao Laotou's mind.

A figure of grace and grandeur, both gentle and majestic, as if all things in the world were under his control. It seemed as though all the martial arts in existence were but footsteps he had left behind.

Taicang!

Even in death, Taicang's influence lingered, as the Unchanging Temple had not laid claim to his territory for a long time.

In Xiao Laotou's heart, Taicang remained unparalleled, even surpassing the mysterious figure from the Unchanging Temple.

It was merely a matter of time.

How could that obscure and shadowy figure in the void compare to Taicang?

However, today, Taicang's invincibility and grandeur were strongly challenged in Xiao Laotou's mind!

He had encountered a being far stronger than Taicang, a being that surpassed him by a wide margin.

It seemed as if all the paths in the world were but footsteps this figure had left behind, and he claimed the title of Ancestor of the Dao!

Xiao Laotou struggled to process this immense revelation, feeling as if his faith was crumbling. His entire being was bewildered.

"I need some time alone," Xiao Laotou mumbled as he turned to leave, his expression dazed.

Xu Yan, taken aback by his master's behavior, was about to call out to him and ask what had happened.

But Li Xuan waved his hand, gently saying, "Let the young man have some time to himself."

As Xiao Laotou walked away, Li Xuan smiled and retracted his aura of the Ancestor of the Dao, returning to his ordinary and unassuming appearance.

He understood Xiao Laotou's situation—he had just encountered a being more powerful, majestic, and enigmatic than the one he held as his belief, and it was a lot to take in.

Moreover, the figure Xiao Laotou revered had a profound connection to him.

"Taicang, huh," Li Xuan thought to himself, marveling at how Taicang's strength continued to inspire and influence others even after his death.

He looked up at the sky, at the very heavens that Taicang had created.

And Tianzi, the one who remained after the creation of the heavens, was the embodiment of the purple light that had faded away.

"Perhaps Taicang would have been even stronger if he hadn't created Tianzi," Li Xuan mused quietly.

That purple light held immense potential for creation.

The rulers of the seven great heavens, as well as the smaller heavens, had all benefited from the purple light's blessings and established their domains.

Those who gained less of the purple light's favor were referred to as the rulers of the smaller heavens, as they had created smaller domains.

The three hundred realms of the Dao Domain were once part of these smaller heavens.

Later rulers, who did not receive the purple light's favor, could only be considered realm lords, a distinction from the rulers of the smaller heavens.

Xiao Laotou was not a ruler of a small heaven but a realm lord.

He was likely a second-generation cultivator who had trained under Taicang himself.

"Not bad at all," Li Xuan acknowledged Xiao Laotou's strength. Despite not receiving the purple light's blessing, his power was not inferior to the rulers of the smaller heavens and, in some cases, even surpassed them.

"He's been heavily influenced by Taicang," Li Xuan thought, not worried that Xiao Laotou would fall into a state of decline. Reaching such a high level of cultivation required an unwavering will, and the sudden impact had simply left him overwhelmed.

Some time alone would allow him to process these new revelations, and the influence Li Xuan had exerted on him earlier would also help ensure his mental state remained stable.

With Xiao Laotou's departure, only familiar faces remained.

Sulingxiu excitedly tugged on Xu Yan's sleeve, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Big Brother Xu, where's the dragon? The real dragon?"

Fang Hao and the others also wore eager expressions, anticipating the dragon's appearance.

"Right here!" Xu Yan smiled and took out the shell of the Primordial Turtle, from which Ao Yuxue emerged.

Ao Yuxue, who had been resting and recovering, found herself abruptly brought out, and her face showed her displeasure at the interruption.

"Is this the real dragon?" Sulingxiu asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

She reached out and gently stroked the small horn on Ao Yuxue's head, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Ao Yuxue's face turned red, and though she wanted to protest, she held back.

"Show them your true form, little snow dragon," Xu Yan instructed gently.

"You're taking advantage of me! I'm not a monkey!" Ao Yuxue pouted, clearly unhappy with the situation.

"Alright, how about this?" Xu Yan proposed. "If you show them your true form, my little sister here will help heal your injuries."

"Fine, but this is the last time!" Ao Yuxue knew she couldn't refuse.

A majestic roar echoed as a flawless white dragon appeared, filling the air with the might of a true dragon.

Even with Ao Yuxue's attempt to restrain her aura, the power of a true dragon still rippled through the air, showcasing her formidable presence.

"Big Brother Xu, can Yu Xiaolong, your horned dragon, transform into a dragon like this?"

Sulingxiu thought of her brother's pet, Yu Xiaolong.

"It's hard to say if it can or not," Xu Yan shook his head.

Sulingxiu reached out and stroked Ao Yuxue's dragon body. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity, making Ao Yuxue feel a bit flustered, as if Sulingxiu wanted to dissect her.

"What's your name?" Sulingxiu asked.

"Ao Yuxue!" came the reply.

"Yu Xue, how about we make a deal?" Sulingxiu suggested excitedly.

Ao Yuxue's heart tightened, and she instinctively felt that this deal wouldn't be anything good.

"No, I won't do it!" She shook her head in a hurry and even transformed back into human form, hiding behind Xu Yan.

Xu Yan and the others exchanged puzzled glances. Sulingxiu was eager to study the true dragon's body, much like how she had once studied the Sea Spirit tribe.

Although Sulingxiu felt a bit disappointed, she wasn't discouraged. After all, Ao Yuxue would be staying here from now on, and there would be plenty of opportunities to negotiate, especially if the offer was enticing enough.

Besides, there wasn't any danger involved. Just like with Cailing'er before.

"Here, take these pills to help you recover. I can see you've taken quite a hit," Sulingxiu said as she handed over a bottle of pills to Ao Yuxue.

Ao Yuxue hesitated for a moment before accepting them. Her sharp instincts told her that these pills would greatly aid her recovery, and she couldn't help but feel delighted and amazed at their effectiveness.

After all, she knew that even if she returned to her clan, it would take a lot of precious resources and a long time to recuperate from her current state of depletion.

After witnessing the true dragon, the group became curious about why Ao Yuxue had fallen into the Divine Realm and lost her sanity, wreaking havoc along the way.

"Ever since I subdued you, I never asked how you ended up in the Divine Realm or why you caused such chaos and slaughter," Xu Yan said in a low voice.

The havoc wreaked by the true dragon had caused quite a stir in the Divine Realm.

Although the conspiracy of Tianmo and Diying was behind it all, and Ao Yuxue was a victim, she had indeed created quite a bit of turmoil.

Ao Yuxue huffed angrily, "It's all because of you despicable and shameless people! You deceived me when I was young and ignorant, trapping me in a place I knew nothing about. It was only when I sensed the presence of the Heaven Tiger that I unintentionally unleashed my dragon might.

"The intertwining of dragon and tiger auras caused me to fall, and there was something strange about that place. I... I don't know how I was affected.

"In my consciousness, there were only thoughts of killing and wreaking havoc; all other thoughts disappeared.

"If not for my subconscious belief that killing the weak is wrong, and my inherent dragon clan nature that prevented me from doing so, I would have indiscriminately killed everyone, not just the Immortal Sovereigns..."

The more Ao Yuxue spoke, the angrier and more aggrieved she became. "You people want to fight among yourselves, then do so, but don't come and harm me! And don't try to shift the blame onto me. It's too much to bear for a dragon!"

"Who deceived you? How did they deceive you?" Xu Yan asked after a moment of contemplation.

While Ao Yuxue had caused chaos and killed many in the Divine Realm, she had indeed refrained from harming those below the Immortal Sovereign level, and most of the deaths were due to being caught in the crossfire.

Initially, they had thought that Ao Yuxue's choice to only kill Immortal Sovereigns was intentional, but now it seemed that in her insanity, her inherent pride as a true dragon made her look down on weaker foes, thus limiting her rampage to only the strong.

"I went out to play from the Dragon Realm and met a few people in trouble. They asked me for help, and I softened and decided to lend them a hand. Who knew they would deceive me and trap me in a place from which I couldn't escape..."

As Ao Yuxue spoke, her dragon might involuntarily surged, and her face flushed with anger.

Xu Yan understood, "So those people were Immortal Sovereigns?"

"Yes!" Ao Yuxue nodded.

This explained why Ao Yuxue held such resentment towards Immortal Sovereigns.

As Ao Yuxue narrated her experience, Xu Yan and the others pieced together what had happened. Ao Yuxue had been trapped for a long time, her patience and willpower worn down, causing her to become irritable.

The place where she was held captive was unique, with its aura constantly invading her body, all in preparation for collapsing the Heavenly Ladder of the Dao Domain and pulling down the entire realm.

Being a young dragon who had never faced adversity, Ao Yuxue couldn't withstand such a situation, and it was natural for her to fall into it, her will crumbling and her sanity slipping away.

Additionally, her guard was down, as she had lived a sheltered life before this incident, never experiencing the harshness and brutality of the world.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end