Chapter 245: Prologue

A light drizzle fell, drenching the earth with sweet rain.

Silken threads drifted gently; trees sprouted and grew, weaving together the vibrant vitality of renewal and the gentle spiritual energy that blanketed The Entire Secret Realm.

A Soul Transformation phenomenon.

And it was not a Dao vein similar to the Dao residue left by 【Xi】.

Within the Sacred Site of the Successors, many cultivators had already reached Nascent Soul perfection but dared not break through.

Now granted permission, they finally dared to advance.

Xu Xing extended his hand; the raindrops landed on his palm, carrying a faint chill.

May the spiritual dew nourish the soul; may I hold orchid blossoms and jade-like dew.

The one who has just ascended to Soul Transformation is a cultivator of the 【Lingze】 lineage.

A fine rain.

A streak of green light transformed into a rainbow, slicing through the clouds and arriving before Xu Xing and the four Void Sublimation cultivators.

The newcomer appeared middle-aged, with regular features but a gaunt frame; his loose green outer robe hung loosely on his body.

His warm, continuous aura subtly resonated with the endless raindrops overhead.

With a sweep of his sleeves, he bowed deeply: "I pay my respects to the Elder."

He had learned this from the four my lords.

The 【Jie Fa Bi Tiangong】, the technique that brought hope to humanity, was crafted by this Elder.

Having been trapped in Nascent Soul for over a hundred years, afraid to move forward, he now finally glimpsed the path ahead—his heart swelled with joy and gratitude.

"You came for him?"

Xu Xing's gaze turned to Min Feng, who had knelt motionless before the entrance of the Sacred Site of the Successors for twenty days.

It was only because he was a Golden Core cultivator that he hadn't died from kneeling like this.

"I do not hide it from the Elder."

He himself had raised Min Feng and guided him into the 【Shuofeng】 lineage.

Though they never took the formal master-disciple title, their bond was no different from that of true master and disciple.

"Though he committed many errors, it was ultimately due to the soul modifications by the Beast God clan…"

"I understand. Take him away."

Xu Xing said coolly.

If he truly wanted him dead, he could have let him die when he tore out his Golden Core.

"Thank you, Elder."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man of the 【Lingze】 lineage swept his sleeves; green light surged and lifted Min Feng from where he knelt before the Sacred Site's entrance.

He bowed once more to Xu Xing and the four behind him, then transformed again into a streak of green light, returning to the high heavens.

Watching the green light vanish into the distance, Fu Guang seemed to suddenly make up his mind.

"Elder," he stepped forward, "I wish to leave and spread the Dao. I humbly request your permission."

Though the number of cultivators in the Sacred Site of the Successors is considerable, it remains but a small fraction of all humanity.

Previously, the Dao Net limited the number of cultivators, but now that this marvelous technique exists…

"Do as you please," Xu Xing gazed ahead. "Decide for yourselves how to proceed."

Fu Guang froze, a flicker of anxiety in his heart.

"You have your methods. I will offer you aid—but in the end, how you act must be decided by you alone."

Huh~

Only then did Fu Guang exhale in relief.

He had thought the Elder was displeased.

…

…

Not long after, Fu Guang departed the Sacred Site of the Successors with several Dao lineage transmissions, traveling across the Beast God Realm to spread the Dao.

And that birth of a Soul Transformation seemed to have opened the prelude. One after another, cultivators who had long been trapped in their current realm dared to break through, ascending to new levels.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed; nine of the seventeen Soul Transformation slots had been filled.

But Fu Guang's efforts in spreading the Dao were also highly successful; coupled with many cultivators in the Sacred Site elevating their 【Jie Fa Bi Tiangong】 to a higher level, the seventeen Soul Transformation slots were expanded to nineteen.

Though this technique is not suited for offense, its innate ability to conceal one's spiritual presence was immensely popular.

Thus, few grew complacent.

Moreover, many cultivators who had ascended, like Fu Guang, left the Sacred Site to spread the Dao elsewhere.

During this month, the Mingguang Gathering Place was far from peaceful.

Since Xi Li emerged from seclusion and attained Qi Condensation fifth layer, demonstrating overwhelming power, the two siblings had fully seized control of the entire gathering place.

And they reflected on their past foolish actions.

For instance, after inventorying the resources left behind by the former Mingguang leader—Min Feng—they immediately published the total quantities of all materials left by both Min Feng and Xu Xing.

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Yet precisely because of this seemingly "fair" act.

It angered those outside.

In their view, everyone is now a Successor—why do you enjoy fine clothes and rich food while we receive only enough supplies to survive?

It is not scarcity they fear, but inequality.

Nothing is worse than comparison.

Moreover, most who had just begun cultivation did not yet understand the distinctions between realms, believing that becoming a Successor meant their differences would be negligible.

All of these factors were the reason the internal and external tensions had rapidly intensified.

So this time, Xi Yun and Xi Li, the two siblings, used Wu Li to force everyone to hand over their hidden supplies, then distributed appropriate resources according to individual circumstances.

Of course, those inside had complaints!

But after Xi Li defeated the only Qi Formation Level Six cultivator with a single sword strike, and slew one Qi Formation Level Five cultivator who had moved to attack, along with several outsiders stirring up trouble,

all opposition vanished.

This might not be a good method, but the threat from the Beast God Clan was imminent; they could only resort to this approach.

After consolidating the settlement, the two siblings began allocating various resources and arranging evacuations.

Although Xi Li had already reached Qi Formation Level Five and mastered one Sword Art,

one must remember that even the lowest-tier pursuit squads were equipped with portable mechs, against which even high-level Qi Formation cultivators were no match.

The Beast God Clan was overwhelmingly powerful; only someone with a broken mind would fight them head-on.

On the twenty-ninth day after Xu Xing left, most people had been organized by them, carrying designated resources, and dispatched in batches toward more desolate regions.

With the concealment ability of the simplified version of the Jie Fa Bi Tiangong, as long as they were cautious, evading ordinary Beast God Clan pursuit squads was not difficult.

As for whether they would later meet at the designated location as agreed…

Forget it; as long as they survived, that was enough.

Thus, on the thirty-first day, when a Beast God Clan mech squad arrived overhead on orders and inspected the Mingguang Settlement, they found it completely empty.

They reported this to their superiors, but the superiors ordered them to continue deeper in pursuit.

There was no choice; they could not disobey superior orders.

The mech squad's captain could only lead his subordinates deeper in pursuit.

Yet the captain was filled with resentment.

According to intelligence, this human settlement housed a Golden Core Stage rebel.

Although his squad possessed the capability to exterminate a Golden Core Stage rebel, they would certainly suffer casualties themselves.

But what could he do? The surrounding cities' civilians and garrisons had evacuated, and he had no powerful patrons?

After tracking for half a day, the mech squad finally spotted traces of humans.

Yet there was only one.

The man had a golden glow at his third eye, a face like polished jade, arched brows and starlit eyes, clad in a golden-white outer robe, his bearing utterly imposing. (End of Chapter)