Chapter 859: A Life Worse Than a Dog: The Dao Ancestor

The cosmic wall of Great Universe Light Sha Dao Ancestor's new territory, the Zhoumu Territory, suddenly collapsed, and countless top-tier Dao Fruits within the territory were annihilated by the chaos.

This matter instantly spread throughout the entire Great Universe.

Any territory carved out from chaos is of inestimable value.

Because it is land that has never been used, and filled with various Dao Laws, the most top-tier Dao Fruits can be nurtured in such places.

Light Sha Dao Ancestor's Zhoumu Territory cost her countless effort and materials, and piled up heaps of favors, before it was finally carved out from chaos.

In order to perfect the Dao Law River of her territory as soon as possible, Light Sha Dao Ancestor threw in countless Saints to fill the Dao Law River in just a hundred years.

Not only that, Light Sha Dao Ancestor also implanted a Dao Vein.

One must know that after the Calamity of Measure, Dao Veins are especially precious.

Before the Calamity of Measure, any Dao Ancestor could casually produce Dao Veins numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands, and they were all top-grade Dao Veins.

After the Calamity of Measure, being able to produce even one low-grade Dao Vein was already very impressive.

The Dao Vein Light Sha Dao Ancestor filled into her territory was still a mid-grade Dao Vein.

If Light Sha Dao Ancestor were to learn of the collapse of her territory, she would probably go mad.

Yet now Light Sha Dao Ancestor has left the Great Universe, reportedly to hunt down a fellow who offended her, apparently named Ke.

Regardless of the rumors.

No one believed that Light Sha Dao Ancestor's Zhoumu Territory carved out from chaos was destroyed by someone.

After all, no one dares to destroy a Dao Ancestor's territory.

Besides, no one is able to destroy a territory carved out from chaos.

Moreover, destroying a territory yields no benefit whatsoever.

Once the cosmic wall is destroyed, everything in the territory will be squeezed into nothingness by the chaos — what could one gain?

Extract the Dao Vein?

The Dao Vein is arranged at the edge of the cosmic wall; to extract it, one would have to enter the chaos.

How many people have such ability?

Such thankless, grueling work that also draws the attention of the powerful — who would do it?

……

Ding Huan, with Yijie, stood before a Dao City that did not look particularly grand.

A few characters were written on the Dao City: North Journey Heaven City.

This Dao City did not look like a prosperous place, yet the moment Ding Huan arrived, he sensed that this place was extremely suitable for his cultivation.

The person who established this Dao City had excellent taste.

After his Dao Creation Realm, continuing to remain in the chaos to cultivate was not impossible.

However, Ding Huan was well aware that if he left the chaos to cultivate at this time, the effect would surely be better.

This North Journey Heaven City before his eyes was extremely suitable for him.

At this moment, Ding Huan looked weathered and worn, his Dao Rhythms mottled.

Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a cultivator who had long roamed the edges of chaos.

This was the result of wanting to gain benefits within the chaos, yet lacking the ability to resist the invasion of mottled Dao Rhythm Laws at the edge of chaos, ultimately leading to this state of the great Dao being mottled.

As for Yijie, although her cultivation had already reached the Sacred Beast level, just from her appearance, anyone could tell she was the most trash-tier Sacred Beast.

This was because Yijie had broken through the shackles of her bloodline.

Even a cultivator thoroughly familiar with the Burning Chaos could no longer mistake Yijie for a Burning Chaos.

After the bloodline breakthrough, Yijie no longer carried even half a breath of the Burning Chaos's Dao Rhythm.

In a low-tier universe, even the worst Sacred Beast is something countless people yearn to obtain.

But this is the Great Universe, a high-tier universe, and even the place with the highest rules in this plane.

A Sacred Beast like Yijie — even if given away, some people probably wouldn't want it.

Yijie followed behind Ding Huan, watching the cultivators coming and going in and out of North Journey Heaven City, the former arrogance long gone from her eyes.

She no longer felt she was terrifyingly strong.

Unless she was stupid, she could sense that her cultivation here put her among the very bottom tier.

This was actually quite normal.

The Great Universe had been re-evolved, and after all, not a very long time had passed.

So low-level cultivators found it very hard to come here; those who could come here were basically existences who had proven the Dao and become Saints.

As for Immortal Realm cultivators, they were even more numerous here than one could count.

Yijie finally understood what Grandpa Huan had meant.

Here, truly anyone could swat her dead.

"Huan…"

Yijie said one word in a small voice, but upon seeing Grandpa Huan's stern gaze, she quickly changed her tune: "Master, this place is so prosperous…"

She was just making conversation for the sake of it.

Even the Dao Ruins Street of Blue Star Divine Continent was far more prosperous than this place.

"Don't talk nonsense, let's go in and take a look first." After Ding Huan finished speaking, he walked toward North Journey Heaven City first.

The reason he did not dare casually seek a place outside to go into closed-door cultivation was that the new Great Universe had not existed for very long.

Not long ago, North Journey Heaven City was still a place of chaos.

Now, every place in the Great Universe had been explored by people.

After all, the star continents evolved from chaos still contained many good things.

Some might be searching for cultivation resources, and others might be searching for a cave dwelling.

Ding Huan felt his strength should be enough to secure an independent cave dwelling.

Unfortunately, the people he had offended were too powerful, so finding a new cave dwelling had to be postponed.

"Both of you, show your Cosmic Integration Tokens?" the city gate cultivator, hunched over, said in a hoarse voice.

Ding Huan's heart sank.

He had overlooked this matter entirely.

The Cosmic Domain had Integration Tokens.

Even entering these Dao Cities required an Integration Token.

Originally, Ke had brought him into the Cosmic Domain precisely because he possessed an Integration Token.

Didn't Qing Sha, the Dao Ancestor, later buy him for ten thousand tokens to fill the Dao Rule River?

This matter could be trivial or grave.

If this gate guard pursued it, a single shout would seal his death.

From the fact that Jiong needed tokens to bring him into the Cosmic Domain, Ding Huan could see the Cosmic Domain was now seized by a group of powerful beings.

Any cultivator not native to the Cosmic Domain must be escorted in.

Or else be captured and forced to fill the Dao Rule River.

Now, without a Cosmic Integration Token, he was clearly an outsider sneaking in.

If this guard chose not to pursue it, he could immediately slip away with Yi Jie, and nothing would happen.

But this guard could not possibly ignore it.

Seeing Ding Huan say nothing, the hunched gate guard lifted his head.

Seeing the faintly cloudy gaze in his eyes, Ding Huan's spirit stirred slightly.

He had seen this look before.

Not just the gaze—its aura, he seemed to have encountered it too.

It was the gaze of one who once ruled all living beings, though now it was humble and clouded…

"You have no Cosmic Integration Token?" the guard's hoarse voice sounded again.

His gaze began to scrutinize Ding Huan.

A faint sense of danger enveloped Ding Huan.

Should he flee immediately, re-entering the Chaos?

Ding Huan quickly dismissed the idea.

Not only could he not safely retreat into the Chaos, but even if he did, it would harm his Evolving Realm.

"You remind me of an old acquaintance," Ding Huan finally recognized the familiarity.

The hunched gate guard chuckled softly, speaking with indifference: "Trying to curry favor with me is useless. Prepare to fill the Dao Rule River."

Ding Huan was speechless—if he were truly forced to fill the Dao Rule River, he would be perfectly safe.

What he feared was being denied the chance to fill the Dao Rule River.

"My old acquaintance's name is Xing Jia. He is now a good friend of mine," Ding Huan spoke again.

The aura and that gaze of dominion over all life matched Xing Jia's exactly.

That meant he was the same kind of person as Xing Jia.

Xing Jia had once been a Dao Ancestor—though that was Xing Jia's own claim; whether it was true, Ding Huan did not know.

As for Dao Ancestors, besides Xing Jia, he had met Quan.

But Quan was merely a projection; he had not sensed that supreme, world-conquering aura.

"You know Xing Jia?" the hunched man stared at Ding Huan, astonished.

Ding Huan nodded but said nothing; someone else approached.

The hunched man checked the newcomer's Integration Token and allowed entry into Northern Travel Heaven City.

"I do know Xing Jia—and I helped restore his physical body, which is why he became my friend," Ding Huan said.

"You're not lying," the hunched man nodded after hearing Ding Huan's words.

He had witnessed Xing Jia's body being shattered himself.

"My name is Ling Zhuzhen. Has Xing Jia ever mentioned me?" the hunched man asked.

Ding Huan shook his head; Xing Jia had never mentioned Ling Zhuzhen to him.

"Heh…" Ling Zhuzhen chuckled bitterly.

After a pause, he said: "Hide quickly—you have no identity token, or you'll die a terrible death."

Then he fell silent.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense settled on Ling Zhuzhen—had his cultivation become chaotic and muddled?

Ding Huan understood what it meant for one's cultivation to become chaotic and muddled.

It occurred when one remained too long in the Chaos; the Dao was erased by Chaos, the spiritual sea and meridians crushed and compressed, causing cultivation to weaken and the Dao to become mottled and regressed.

Thus, this man's hunched posture was also the result of Chaos compression.

Under normal circumstances, encountering such a state meant waiting for death.

Ding Huan smiled: "Ling Daofriend, if I'm not mistaken, after the Cosmic Domain's Great Calamity arrived, you did not leave the Cosmic Domain."

Worse, you tried to hide within the Chaos itself, hoping to escape the Great Cosmic Calamity, correct?"

Only this explanation accounted for Ling Zhuzhen's current condition.

Ling Zhuzhen glanced at Ding Huan again: "You guessed right. How has Xing Jia recovered?"

His tone was calm, yet inwardly he admired Ding Huan.

After the Great Calamity arrived, many went mad fleeing.

Only he believed that, no matter what, the chance of escape was slim.

Under the Great Calamity, the stronger one's cultivation, the greater the impact.

He did the opposite—he charged straight into the Chaos.

The facts proved he had not been entirely wrong.

In the Chaos, he preserved his life.

Likewise, his Dao was also chaoticized.

So when the Great Universe re-emanated starlands from Chaos, he was the first to establish Beixing Tiancheng.

At that time, the Great Universe held only him.

He intended to repair his Dao within Beixing Tiancheng.

Unfortunately, his intentions were good, but the outcome was cruel.

The moment he finished building Beixing Tiancheng, it was seized by a powerful being.

He, Ling Zhu Zhen, had once been a Dao Ancestor—now he could only guard the city gate, and this city was one he had built with his own hands.

To build a Dao City with one's own hands, then guard its gate—how ironic, He Qi?

This Dao Ancestor lived worse than a dog.