Chapter 941

Outside the spaceship, the old man urgently told Qu Qu Beige and the others: "If we scatter now, maybe a few of us can escape; otherwise, none of us will make it."

Unfortunately, after he finished speaking, not a single person ran away.

Worse still, that pig looked at him with clear disgust.

Qu Qu Beige and Ding Huan said nothing, but Qiao Qianhe offered kindly: "Brother Daoist, we don't know you—go ahead and leave first; we'll stay here."

The old man sighed, yet did not flee himself.

He had followed Wen Zhifa from the Gods Merchants Guild out here precisely to look for a chance to escape.

Now the opportunity had come, and yet he still didn't leave.

Ding Huan grew puzzled: "You could leave now—why don't you? Just now you were urging us to run."

The old man sighed: "If I fled alone, abandoning you all, I fear I'd never find peace in my conscience again."

If any Daoists left aboard the ship meet their end, when Wen Zhifa comes out to act, we scatter—and one escapes, one survives."

"You're quite a friend," Qiao Qianhe praised.

Yi Jie snorted: "He's just too embarrassed to leave now; once Brother Huan doesn't come out, this guy will be the first to bolt."

The old man said nothing—it was obvious enough.

His reason for staying here was to draw Wen Zhifa's attention when the latter moved against them.

After all, if everyone scattered in all directions, his presence here gave them all one more chance at survival.

Of course, it also gave him one more chance of being killed.

But whether he died or escaped then, he would have no guilt.

Ding Huan and the others weren't even startled.

Ding Huan had defeated Lan Xihuo, killed Qu Qu Beige—why should he fear a mere Wen Zhifa?

Indeed, after only a slight tremor on the spaceship, Ding Huan stepped out, simultaneously swallowing the vessel whole.

"You're unharmed? Where's Wen Zhifa?" The old man had already prepared to flee—seeing Ding Huan emerge, he exclaimed in shock.

"Of course I killed him. You're quite loyal, staying here waiting for me," Ding Huan smiled.

The old man froze, then asked uncertainly after a long pause: "You killed Wen Yi?"

"Correct. Thanks for your earlier whispered warning—I'm ready to leave now; you're free to go," Ding Huan thanked him.

He believed that even without the warning, this fellow would never return to Wangshen City.

"Senior, are you on the Seventh Step of the Great Dao?" the old man asked in astonishment.

Though Wen Zhifa was an ordinary figure on the Seventh Step, killing him meant Ding Huan must be at least Seventh Step himself.

Ding Huan did not answer the old man's question; instead, he summoned the Cosmic Cauldron: "Brother Daoist, let us part here—we'll meet again if fate wills it."

If he admitted he was on the Fourth Step, it would confirm he had cultivated the Sage of Uttered Truth.

Once that news spread, it would not benefit him.

Yet he didn't want to deceive this warm-hearted man, so he simply chose not to answer.

Seeing Ding Huan's Cosmic Cauldron, the old man's eyes lit up—it was undoubtedly a top-tier treasure.

Qu Qu Beige and the others boarded the Cosmic Cauldron; he then asked earnestly: "I owe you all my life—if not for your rescue, I'd be dead now in the hands of those cruel people in Wangshen City. May I ask your name?"

Only now did he remember to thank Ding Huan and the others.

Ding Huan did not hide it: "I'm Ding Huan. These are Qu Qu Beige, Guan Huan, Qiao Qianhe, and Yi Jie."

The old man wiped his face, revealing the youthful, weathered visage beneath—slim, with clear eyes.

"Ding Senior, brothers, and this sister—actually, I've been disguised. This is my true face."

My original name is Geng Yuan. After failing to cultivate the Dao, I've wandered the outer fringes of the Gods World on the Gods Isles."

I sense you're no ordinary person—I wish to follow you. Is that possible?"

Seeing Ding Huan's calm reaction to his restored face, Geng Yuan realized Ding Huan had known all along about his disguise.

He smiled awkwardly: "I disguised myself out of necessity—I've made too many enemies."

Guan Huan laughed heartily: "No big deal—I've disguised myself too."

As he spoke, he too revealed his true face.

Since none of them were going to Wangshen City, and since the outer fringes of the Gods Isles weren't just Wangshen City, he had no need to remain disguised.

"Of course you can—get aboard. Let's find a place to settle first, then discuss going to the Gods World. And don't call me 'Senior'—if we get along, let's address each other as equals."

Geng Yuan landed on the Cosmic Cauldron, then shook his head: "Big Brother Ding, I think we shouldn't go to the Gods World for now—it'll bring trouble upon us."

"What do you mean?" Ding Huan asked, already activating the Cosmic Cauldron.

They had just killed Wen Yi here—who knew if the Gods Merchants Guild would come searching?

Geng Yuan spoke seriously: "From your words just now, I've guessed—you're a Sage of Uttered Truth."

In the eyes of those hateful people in the Gods World, only someone who cultivated the Sage of Uttered Truth within the Gods World could achieve it."

If you cultivated it outside the Gods World, you must be a Supreme Daoist. Such a person, once entering the Gods World, would be slowly dissected to extract secrets."

"That's not fair!" Qu Qu Beige frowned.

Geng Yuan sighed: "Unfair? Wait till you reach the Gods World—you'll learn what true unfairness really is."

The Gods World forbids any outsider from entering. Any outsider who enters meets a horrific end."

Ding Huan was puzzled: "Brother Geng, I heard the Gods World doesn't forbid outsiders—it just imposes strict requirements."

It demands that entering Daoists have a pure Dao. Daoists who cultivated outside the Gods World have muddled understandings of cosmic laws, so their Dao is muddled too."

If their Dao is clean and pure, aren't they still allowed entry?"

Ding Huan's knowledge came entirely from Lan Xihuo.

Geng Yuan chuckled: "Yes, they do allow Daoists with pure Dao to enter—these people usually have extraordinary fortunes, great destiny, or profound secrets."

Do you know what they all do once they enter the Gods World?"

"I still have questions to ask." Ding Huan felt Guan Yuan's words carried unusual weight.

"They've all gone to purify the Chaotic Malice." Guan Yuan's tone was low, even tinged with anger.

Ding Huan was even more confused, but he did not ask—he knew Guan Yuan would continue explaining.

Indeed, Guan Yuan went on: "The center of the Divine Worlds is the origin of the entire vast Chaotic Primordial, so the Divine Worlds are constantly expanding outward."

"Where the Chaotic Realm expands, there are not only top-tier Dao veins, but also various treasures—but equally, they harbor Chaotic Malice."

"Those beings living in the Divine Worlds believe this malice will"

"hinder their cultivation and attainment of the Dao, so they must purify it, and forbid it from entering the Divine Worlds."

"The simplest, most direct way to purify this malice is the blood of Pure Dao cultivators."

"Thus, among these Pure Dao cultivators who enter the Divine Worlds, nine out of ten are sent off to purify Chaotic Malice."

Ding Huan sucked in a sharp breath. Indeed, before the Dao, all conscience could be fed to dogs.

"What if there weren't enough Pure Dao cultivators to purify the Chaotic Malice?" Ding Huan couldn't help asking.

Guan Yuan replied: "There are two sources. One is internal conflict within the Divine Worlds—every so often, disputes erupt over interests."

"These interests are the lands newly expanded by the Chaotic Realm—places brimming with top-tier materials, treasures, and Chaotic Dao cultivation techniques…"

"They fight over these things. They despise Chaotic Malice, yet are themselves saturated with killing malice."

"The second is cultivating Pure Dao cultivators—they train them to sever their Dao and re-attain it."

"After severing their Dao, the cultivators' Dao resonance is no longer tainted. Their sole purpose upon returning to the Divine Worlds is to purify Chaotic Malice."

Ding Huan now understood—whether Lan Xihuo or Jing Xizhen,

these people were all cultivated by the Divine Worlds as Chaotic Malice purifiers.

Perhaps they were still striving to sever their Dao and re-attain it.

Yet they did not know that after severing and re-attaining their Dao, their ultimate fate would be to sacrifice their lives in purifying Chaotic Malice.

"How did you come to know such a secret? Didn't that Wen Enforcement Officer I killed seem unaware of this?"

Ding Huan looked at Guan Yuan with doubt.

Honestly, could this unremarkable fellow really know such hidden secrets?

If the Divine Worlds truly sought to cultivate genuine Pure Dao cultivators, they wouldn't leak this information.

Guan Yuan clenched his fists: "Because I come from the Divine Worlds—my parents were originally from there."

"My family lived on Hearing the Dao Mountain, a place where the celestial qi was thick, perfect for comprehending the Dao."

"So long ago, others coveted that land. But whenever my parents attended the Divine Worlds' grand assemblies, they never fought or competed for the lands newly expanded by the Chaotic Realm."

"Because they didn't compete, they didn't need to send people to purify Chaotic Malice. But at the same time, without Chaotic lands, they had few treasures and insufficient resources…"

After this, Ding Huan didn't need Guan Yuan to continue—he could already guess the rest.

Indeed, Guan Yuan went on: "Our Hearing the Dao Mountain's actions angered some factions in the Divine Worlds. They felt we didn't deserve to remain on Hearing the Dao Mountain and demanded we leave."

"Moreover, they demanded my mother send ten people to purify Chaotic Malice as tribute to the Divine Worlds—or we wouldn't even be allowed to remain in the Divine Worlds."

"My father, of course, flew into a rage and fought them on the spot… sigh…"

Guan Yuan fell silent for a long while after saying this, sighing deeply.

"Later, my father used a secret technique to send me out of the Divine Worlds, allowing me to survive until today. And what I've told you is merely the tip of the iceberg."

"If you escaped, why return here?" Ding Huan asked, puzzled.

Guan Yuan shook his head: "I want revenge. But I know—if I cannot enter the Divine Worlds, revenge is just a joke."

"I've spent years wandering the outer islands near the Divine Worlds, trying every method to get in—but achieved nothing."

"I don't want to cultivate out here, but my talent is too extraordinary—I've naturally advanced from Creation Dao Stage to the Fourth Step over these years. It's truly tragic."

It sounded like a joke, but Guan Yuan's words carried hidden fury.

Even Jia Baihe stared at Guan Yuan in surprise—her talent was extraordinary, yet even she couldn't advance without cultivation.

"What kind of talent do you have?" Ding Huan asked.

"Chaotic Dao Body."