Chapter 320: The Finger of Destiny Got Called Broken?!

Even among the many deities of this realm, how many can truly be called "Great Deities"?

This Golden Crow counts among the top tier.

Even as the tides of fate roll forward and the heavens shift, even as the Immortal Dao flourishes, his cultivation and divine powers will not wane one bit.

"The Divine Dao in this age will decline; the Immortal Dao will rise." Xiang Yuanjun withdrew her gaze and turned to Bie Xuening. "Which do you think is better?"

"It's hard to say."

A world of this level of profundity.

The Immortal Dao is like a potent medicine: cultivators comprehend and practice, create new methods, and understanding the mysteries enhances the world's foundation—but if the momentum becomes too strong, it may harm the world itself.

The Divine Dao, by contrast, is like a gentle tonic: deities draw their authority from heaven and earth, govern yin and yang, and uphold orderly laws. Though it struggles to increase the world's essence, it nurtures and restores the world's vitality.

Thus, this cycle repeats endlessly, gradually accumulating the world's foundation until sufficient energy is gathered to cross that threshold and ultimately achieve transformation, ascending into an Eternal Great Realm like the Beast Deity Realm—its level reaching Dongzhen, its very scale surpassing True Immortals!

Therefore, whether Divine Dao or Immortal Dao, their cyclical alternation is merely the world's way of regulating itself.

To the world, the Immortal Dao exists when it should, the Divine Dao flourishes when it should—this is best.

But for the beings within the realm, Immortal Dao and Divine Dao each have their strengths and weaknesses; it's hard to declare one superior.

"True."

Xiang Yuanjun drifted back and settled again on Bie Xuening's shoulder.

Bie Xuening turned and walked upward once more.

Her younger brother (Senior Daoist) still needs time to arrive; before then, the two planned to wait right here.

As for the transformations of this world, they had no intention of interfering.

After all, one wields the Sword Dao of slaughter, and even taking a disciple requires extreme caution.

The other is barely the size of a palm, so she naturally has no interest in getting involved.

"By the way, this Three Heaven Realm training expedition will probably end hastily." Xiang Yuanjun's voice drifted softly.

"Mm." Bie Xuening also replied.

After this incident, even Xuan Du himself intervened. For the safety of the younger generation, the training could no longer continue.

"If my guess is right, it was the Dan Ancestor who acted."

"Mm."

"... Don't you know how to say anything but 'mm'?"

Aren't you usually quite talkative in the group?

"..."

Bie Xuening glanced at her sideways, saying nothing.

Xiang Yuanjun turned her head away, avoiding Bie Xuening's gaze: "Your two disciples are very young. After such a sudden upheaval, I wonder if they can handle it."

"..." Bie Xuening paused at this, but soon continued walking forward. "They will."

The rebellious disciple may be mischievous, but he is not weak.

The younger disciple is also quite resilient; no need to worry.

Her figure swiftly rounded a corner and vanished from sight.

Da Li Dynasty.

Pingzhou, Tongyun Prefecture, Fuming County.

In the county's largest teahouse, a Daoist with hair half-black and half-white, clad in a black-and-white Dao robe, gazed out the window.

It was Seeing Hong Zun.

He had no restrictions, and he found the transition between Immortals and Deities quite intriguing, so he naturally wouldn't wait in one place for Xu Xing.

Thus, after leaving that shrine, he wandered freely.

After all, once Senior Daoist arrived, he could simply go find him.

Along the way, he subdued several unruly demons and dismantled several unworthy statues.

When Xiang Yuanjun and Bie Xuening arrived, the three discussed the repulsion of Tai Xuan Realm, but found no good solution.

The one who tied the bell must untie it—since this matter targets Senior Daoist, the outcome will likely only come when he arrives...

Lost in thought, his gaze still rested outside through the window.

Outside the teahouse, he saw:

Amid a crowd, an old man and a young boy were performing magic tricks.

The boy swallowed a black, sooty pill, then spat out a torrent of flame that surged skyward like a coiling dragon, circling the heavens before returning to his mouth, leaving only wisps of three-colored mist rising—truly divine.

The old man, clad in coarse hemp, performed an even more astonishing art.

He took out a seed, no larger than a thumb, resembling a broad bean, and tossed it lightly.

Before it touched the ground, roots sprouted, sinking into the cracks of brick and stone; a new shoot broke through its shell and grew visibly before their eyes!

The old man chanted incantations, stepping in mystic patterns.

In an instant, a small tree, one man's height, had grown—lush, leafy, and broad as an umbrella.

Then, the old man pointed two fingers like a sword at the tree and said, "Open."

Buds formed, then burst into blossoms of every color, adorning every branch.

The crowd gasped in wonder; the boy began calling out for rewards.

The onlookers were generous, tossing copper coins forward; several well-dressed, dignified individuals even threw down bits of silver.

The old man smiled and cried out, "Thank you, kind patrons of the four directions!" Then he pointed again at the tree, now heavy with blossoms.

Instantly, petals fell, and one by one, heavy fruits swelled as if inflated by breath.

Peaches, plums, apricots, apples, bananas, loquats, grapes—nothing unusual is missing…

Fruits seen and unseen.

Fruits hung low, bending branches outright.

The old man's expression remained unchanged; he smiled warmly and invited the onlookers to enjoy the fruits.

Whoa!

In an instant, coins clinked incessantly, three-colored mists drifted, and money fell like rain—a scene of great bustle. This sight suddenly made Seeing Hong Zun feel a pang of unease.

He recalled that day on the square, beans scattered everywhere in the clear qi…

Sigh~

But…

"The method of planting arrays… this world's 【Qie Ling Dao】 cultivators."

The old man's "planting array" method was exquisite to ordinary cultivators, but it could not possibly deceive him.

After the young tree's roots sank into the ground, they vanished into the soil, connecting with the earth veins and forming, together with the drifting three-colored mists, a vast array capable of covering the entire county—【Lian Sheng Xi Ling Zhen】!

Extract the vital energy of all living beings to obtain their spirits!

In this world, the qi of heaven and earth is governed by the gods of the Celestial Palace's Spirit Bureau; every thread, every fraction bears a mark. To inhale qi recklessly, if marked by such a seal, is no different from seeking death!

Yet to wash away these marks and make them usable for oneself, one must borrow the living beings' "vital energy"!

Of course, in doing so, the many commoners of Fuming County would either not die but suffer grave depletion of their primordial energy, losing many years of life.

If one were ruthless, it would not be impossible to directly refine to death all living people within the county.

Seeing Hong Zun withdrew his gaze and looked toward a boy before him, also watching out the window.

In the great age's turnover, some fortunate ones obtain ultimate treasures, encounter myriad circumstances, and ultimately rise like a phoenix to stand alone atop the world.

!. Read

…

…

He Yunqi watched the old man and boy performing outside the teahouse, his eyes filled with unreadable emotion.

He knew clearly: once the 【Lian Sheng Xi Ling Zhen】 activated, Fuming County would become a ghostland!

After taking a deep breath, He Yunqi gazed forward.

In the woven clouds of mist, golden characters shone brilliantly, line after line.

【Dao Yan Er Ri, you cultivated using the Qie Ling method, but did not anticipate that the demonic cultivator Xue Cheng Dao Ren, accompanied by puppets disguised as an old man and a boy, pretended to perform street magic and planted the Lian Sheng Xi Ling Array within Fuming County.】

【Unwilling to alarm the local gods, you chose not to slaughter them outright.】

【But heaven's winds are unpredictable—demons and ghosts arrived from outside the county, and the guardian spirit had left to attend a banquet and could not return.】

【To preserve himself during the demon-ghost attack, the demonic cultivator Xue Cheng Dao Ren activated the array to its full power, draining the vital energy of Fuming County.】

【You died】

The golden text on the cloud book ended here, but above it remained a section labeled "Dao Yan Yi Ri."

Died…

He Yunqi clenched his fists.

Since obtaining the 【Dao Yan Da Qian Lu】, he had entered the Dao path and foreseen his own death many times—but always years, even decades in the future. Never once had it been this close!

If he did not change this, he would die today!

He had considered fleeing, but stepping beyond the county border filled him with a chilling dread—as if stepping out would mean instant death!

"Demons and ghosts arrive from outside the county…"

Helpless, he sent someone to deliver word to the local god, hoping the spirit would return swiftly.

Damn!

If he had any other choice, he would never want to deal with a god.

In previous "Dao Yan" instances, most of the time he had died at the hands of gods for being discovered cultivating the 【Qie Ling】 method!

No, he must try again!

Fortunately, he had never wasted it recklessly—three "Dao Yan" uses still remained.

As He Yunqi willed it.

The golden characters on the cloud book vanished entirely.

【Dao Yan Da Qian, All Phenomena of the Universe】

Eight great characters manifested, seeming to contain supreme mystery.

But He Yunqi could not now comprehend them—he could only watch helplessly as they faded.

Then, line after line of golden characters, identical to before, began to reappear on the cloud book.

【Dao Yan Yi Ri, you arrived early at the Songyue Pavilion to confront Xue Cheng Dao Ren and sent word to the guardian spirit about the situation in the county.】

【But the god did not reply.】

As the text appeared here, He Yunqi's heart sank.

If the god did not reply, who could stand against the demons and ghosts?

Would the outcome not remain unchanged?

The golden text continued to appear.

【Unaware of the situation, you waited in the Songyue Pavilion, watched the entire process of Xue Cheng Dao Ren's "planting array," and lost the best chance to stop him.】

Huh?!!

He Yunqi was utterly stunned.

Planting array?

The best chance to stop him?!

Fuck!

Why the hell didn't you clarify this earlier?!

He Yunqi finally snapped, cursing inwardly!

The golden characters on the Cloud Book continued displaying at a steady pace, but soon anomalies appeared.

【You decide... you decide... the great array activates...】

【The great array... did not activate...】

【Dao Yan Da Qian... Cosmos】

【Law Yan Day Two... #￥%@】

【Law Yan Day Three, @%@$%】

From the initial text growing hazy to the final collapse into gibberish, as if disrupted, the entire 'Dao Yan Da Qian Lu' teetered on the brink of collapse.

He Yunqi: '...'

Could it have been broken by his own curses? (End of Chapter)