Chapter 860: The Person Recommended by Ling Zhuzhen

Ding Huan said, "Xing Jia may have entered the Eternal Life Realm now; I haven't seen him in a long time, so I'm not entirely sure."

Ding Huan sighed inwardly, hoping Xing Jia and Min Yuan had good luck, otherwise it would be truly hard to find a place to cultivate.

"Out of respect for Xing Jia, I won't drag you into this—go now." Ling Zhuzhen sighed, stepping out of his memories.

He was, after all, a Dao Ancestor—naturally he wouldn't do something that harmed others without benefiting himself.

Of course, if reporting Ding Huan brought even a shred of advantage, he wouldn't recognize who Xing Jia was.

Ding Huan reflected inwardly: Qing Sha was also a Dao Ancestor.

This Ling Zhuzhen was also a Dao Ancestor.

Even though Ling Zhuzhen now guards the gate, that aura of supreme Dao, forged into his very bones and overlooking all things, was something Qing Sha's Dao lacked.

In other words, Qing Sha was merely a nouveau riche Dao Ancestor, while Ling Zhuzhen was the true Dao Ancestor who built his empire step by step.

If not for the Great Calamity, Qing Sha would still be hiding in some forgotten corner.

"Ling Daofriend, do you have a way to help me obtain a Cosmic Point Card?" Ding Huan asked.

He knew no one here—even if Ling Zhuzhen was only a gatekeeper, he was at least someone he knew.

So before hearing any good news, he didn't want to leave like this.

Ling Zhuzhen stared at Ding Huan in surprise.

As an old hand, he instantly understood the situation from Ding Huan's words.

He had never met this cultivator before, and he knew the other man was equally aware that he wouldn't change his attitude because of Xing Jia.

Yet despite this, the cultivator still asked him to help obtain the Point Card.

There was only one possibility.

This man could help him.

"What can you do for me?" Ling Zhuzhen cut straight to the point, no patience for circumlocution.

"I can remove the Chaos Corruption from your Dao, even from your meridians and the Chaos Corruption in your soul sea." Ding Huan replied bluntly.

Even though Ling Zhuzhen had seen countless things, he was stunned by Ding Huan's words.

He knew perfectly well that Ding Huan's claim was nearly impossible—Ding Huan's own Dao was heavily mottled with chaotic Dao rhythms from the Chaos Edge.

For someone like that to claim he could remove Chaos Corruption from his Dao was laughable.

Yet he couldn't help but believe it.

Perhaps he understood clearly—he had no other path left.

Even a single straw was one he had to grasp.

Seeing Ling Zhuzhen's uncertain expression, Ding Huan stepped forward and slapped his shoulder once.

Just once.

Ling Zhuzhen immediately felt a Zhou Tian aura sweep over him, and the Chaos-corrupted meridians in his arm opened up significantly.

His previously stiffened arm now felt lighter.

Ling Zhuzhen widened his eyes—could this really be true?

Could this wandering cultivator truly help him resolve the Chaos Corruption of his Dao? What technique was this?

At this moment, he understood: the mottled Dao rhythms on this cultivator's body could not possibly be real.

With such a technique, what mottled Dao rhythm couldn't be erased?

How could anyone allow their own Dao to become so mottled?

"You really can…" Ling Zhuzhen's voice trembled, barely under control.

He was done—his dignity had been trampled, but now he suffered daily torment from Chaos Corruption.

If not for his Dao being corrupted, he would have long since chosen self-destruction and reincarnation.

But his Dao was corrupted, and even his Primordial Spirit was corrupted—so even if he reincarnated, his Dao and Primordial Spirit would remain corrupted afterward.

"I really can," Ding Huan replied with a calm, smiling tone.

What joke? He had secluded himself in the Chaos Zone for over ten thousand years.

The Chaos Sea formed within his own world had long since engulfed countless Chaos Laws—even if he couldn't fully merge all Chaos Laws within it.

Resolving Ling Zhuzhen's Dao Corruption was child's play.

Ling Zhuzhen clenched his fists, recalling the two young men who had once nearly dominated the Great Universe.

Had the Great Cosmic Calamity not come, the Great Universe today would already belong to those two youths.

This man before him made him see again a peerless genius of Dao.

One chance could be missed—but never a second.

No wonder even a fool like Xing Jia wanted to befriend this cultivator—he was truly a being defying Heaven.

"May I ask your name, friend?" In an instant, Ling Zhuzhen decided to befriend Ding Huan.

"I'm Ding Xiaotu," Ding Huan replied casually.

Ling Zhuzhen was a Dao Ancestor—he didn't take it seriously.

He had already met three or four Dao Ancestors.

They sounded impressive, but really, they were just cultivators with higher cultivation.

"Ding Daofriend, I can't get you a Cosmic Point Card, but someone else can. I'll let you into the city—go find Jia Xi, the owner of Qixing Tower, and say I sent you."

"If you succeed, come back to me—I won't let you lose out."

Ling Zhuzhen spoke quickly, then gestured for Ding Huan to enter.

Though Ling Zhuzhen's tone was casual, Ding Huan sensed that Jia Xi was likely Ling Zhuzhen's only remaining trump card.

Perhaps the last flicker of hope he still clung to.

Ding Huan nodded without a word and entered Beixing Tian City with Yijie.

He did not mention helping Ling Zhuzhen resolve the problem of the Great Dao's chaos.

Everyone understood without saying it.

As long as Ding Huan obtains the Cosmic Point Card of the Great Universe, we can discuss the next steps later.

Moreover, Ding Huan detected from Ling Zhuzhen's tone that the fellow seemed to have something good for him.

How could something a Dao Ancestor considers valuable be mediocre?

The streets of Beixing Tian City showed no planning.

Shops along the streets were sparse, and the cultivators passing by were not numerous.

The cultivation cave districts, however, were surrounded by Dao rhythms and thickened with divine qi.

Clearly, most people came here for the same reason as him—to find a place to seclude themselves and cultivate.

Ding Huan easily found Qixing Tower.

Entering Qixing Tower, Ding Huan saw no customers inside, only a green-robed woman seated behind the counter, as if waiting for guests.

In the display cabinet behind the green-robed woman, Ding Huan saw some healing pills, many of them Dao pills designed to treat mottled Dao principles.

But how effective they were, he did not know.

Ding Huan did not need to scan with his spiritual sense—he knew the woman was not waiting for guests, but healing herself.

She, too, was severely injured.

Qixing Tower was merely a cover for the green-robed woman's healing.

From the woman's aura fluctuations, Ding Huan sensed she, too, had suffered damage to her Dao Foundation.

Her current cultivation level was at the Fourth Step of the Great Dao.

Clearly, after that Great Cosmic Cataclysm, no cultivator who survived remained unharmed.

As soon as Ding Huan entered, the green-robed woman sensed him; she looked at him and smiled sweetly: "Brother Daoist, what do you need?"

"Are you Daoist Jia Qian?" Ding Huan bowed.

The green-robed woman's eyes narrowed slightly—no more than five people here knew her name; how did this Dao-rhythm-mottled fellow know it?

Her gaze settled on Ding Huan.

His hair was loosely tied into a starry topknot, slightly disheveled.

His skin bore a rust-like hue, his eyes irregular, making him rather ugly, with heavily mottled Great Dao rhythms.

Clearly, he had long survived at the edge of Chaos, causing his Dao rhythms to become mottled by Chaos-edge principles.

To her, such people were both pitiful and hateful.

Pitiful because they risked their lives at the Chaos edge to obtain cultivation resources.

One misstep meant death and Dao annihilation—such people truly endured hardship.

Hateful because none of them were decent; all were scheming and ruthless.

When they encountered injured cultivators, they struck without hesitation.

Ambushes, traps, calculations…

They did anything.

Jia Qian could not understand how such a person could know her name.

"How do you know me?" Jia Qian fixed Ding Huan with her gaze.

Ding Huan's Dao rhythms were mottled, his cultivation hovering near the Third Reversal Saint level—she could easily kill him.

Just as Ding Huan was about to speak, two more entered.

They were two women; the one walking ahead wore a white dress, with phoenix eyes and willow brows, giving an impression of fragility.

Combined with her perfect facial structure, she was an extremely beautiful woman.

Behind the white-dressed woman was a woman clad in a red female cultivator's robe.

The red-robed woman could only be called plain, and standing behind the white-dressed woman, she only accentuated the latter's beauty.

"Jiu Yue, it's been so long since I've seen you—you didn't even tell me you were coming," Jia Qian immediately stood up.

The fullness of her smile and delight—Ding Huan suspected it was fake, yet he saw not a trace of pretense.

The white-dressed woman named Jiu Yue smiled warmly as she stepped forward: "Sister Qian, I'm getting married—my sworn sister and my maid Xun Lan will accompany me as bridesmaids."

Xun Lan already has someone she loves, but my sworn sister remains silent and has yet to find a suitable Dao partner—I've come to ask you for help."

"Help me find a male cultivator—don't let my sworn sister remain alone any longer; I feel heartbroken seeing her like this."

Ding Huan knew about Daoist bridesmaids.

Generally, when a woman of status married a male cultivator, she had bridesmaids.

These bridesmaids were either her personal maids or lower-status female companions.

This Jiu Yue having her sworn sister serve as bridesmaid clearly meant her sworn sister held little importance in her heart.

After all, a bridesmaid's Dao partner must not surpass the bride in any way.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be a bridesmaid's role—it would be an insult to the wedding.

Moreover, Jiu Yue merely asked Jia Qian to find a male cultivator to give to her sworn sister, saying nothing about his height, build, or appearance.

Anyone with even a little sense would know that silence was the clearest statement.

That meant she must find the absolute worst possible male cultivator for her sworn sister.

Jia Qian cursed inwardly—why come to me to find bridesmaids? Where else couldn't you look?

I don't even have enough time to recover my cultivation or heal—how could I possibly waste time helping you find a bridesmaid Dao partner?

But she had no choice—this woman could not be offended, for she had a powerful father.