Chapter 384: Abandoning the Dao Slave and Fleeing

The clear sky was instantly dyed crimson by the moonlight.

The violet net that severed heaven and earth was directly pierced, and beams of crimson moonlight descended.

The sudden red light caused some younger Cang clansmen to instinctively look up, and through the gaps torn by the crimson moonlight, they saw with perfect clarity the Dao Slave formed from the purple bamboo.

At a single glance, they were drawn to the countless "concepts," "laws," and "principles" flowing within it.

The ultimate truth of the Dao, the origin of all methods!

Infinite insights surged uncontrollably into their hearts; their bodies, magic power, and even their spiritual souls began swelling involuntarily.

The joy of beholding the Dao overwhelmed all other thoughts in an instant.

Having attained enlightenment of "Dao Guang," and having built the Heavenly Gate with Hun Tian Yi, its current manifestation is no less than the external expression of the Dao itself.

What one sees in a single glance surpasses a lifetime of cultivation!

The insignificant "self" was utterly negligible before this overwhelming joy and boundless freedom; the loss of the self clouded the spiritual terrace, resulting in bodily disintegration and deformation.

Most of the younger Cang clansmen who saw the Dao Slave wore expressions of satisfaction, even as their bodies swelled, flesh decomposed, and skin cracked—unaware of it all.

Their magic power and spiritual souls became nourishment, absorbed by a crystalline anomaly that grew ever larger.

In the end, every young Cang clansman who had instinctively looked up and seen the Dao Slave himself transformed into an identical strange crystal, full of countless facets and edges.

Yet on the surface of each crystal rested a delicate, perfect face, still wearing that same rapt expression—unnervingly strange.

Within each crystal flowed many "conceptual" lights.

The "Pastoral Spirit Nourishing Myself Scripture," the "Tai Xuan Combat Method," the "Devouring Spirit and Ingesting Qi to Forge the Spirit Method"…

Clearly, these were their entire lifetimes of studies!

Moreover, some young Cang clansmen who had not looked up, upon seeing the crystals influenced by the Dao Slave, likewise absorbed their insights and became affected.

Their skin rippled; inside, flesh and spiritual souls began crystallizing uncontrollably.

It was as if a terrifying plague spread uncontrollably throughout "Gu Tai Xuan Tian."

"Master Jianzu!"

Gu was startled, but quickly reacted, sweeping a hand beneath the broken violet net!

Invisible ripples spread, filling the gaps torn by the crimson moonlight.

Simultaneously, all things in heaven and earth seemed to reverse; those Cang clansmen transformed into strange crystals by the Dao Slave reverted to their original forms under the influence of the invisible ripples.

Their rapt expressions vanished; only boundless confusion remained in their eyes.

What just happened?

Trying to recall, they felt only emptiness in their minds—not a single memory.

They had lost even the memories of that single day!

Though Gu could not immediately remove the "Dao Slave," dispelling its effects was still easy for Him.

Yet with a great enemy before Him, He needed to conserve sufficient strength to confront Master Jianzu, so His methods were inevitably crude.

Amidst the grim crimson moonlight.

"I merely left it as a trivial trick, never expecting it to have much effect."

Behind Xu Xing loomed a shadow of a red moon, his long sword blazing with piercing brilliance, looking down upon Gu from above.

"Yet I never imagined you still hadn't worn it down or purged it."

"…" Gu's expression darkened.

Why couldn't I wear down and purge this sword light? Others may not know—but don't you human True Immortals understand?

This Master Jianzu is still as hateful as ever!

"Will Master Jianzu also resort to such empty words?!"

"Hah."

After a light laugh, a sword light surged—shaking antiquity and dominating the river of history!

Zzzzz~!

The shadow of the red moon reflected across the heavens, spinning and expanding until it covered the entire sky of Gu Tai Xuan Tian!

"Hmph!"

A cold snort pierced the buzzing sword hum; Gu did not dodge or evade—his brilliant fist seal resembled a divine ring of time, within which shadows of heroes from all races across past and present jointly unleashed their most powerful techniques, striking straight at the sword light!

The past was His domain!

Boom!

The entire "Gu Tai Xuan Tian" trembled; the boundless power released when the time ring, empowered by the past domain, clashed with the sword light made heaven and earth groan, on the verge of rupture and explosion.

Even with Gu's deliberate protection, tens of thousands of young Cang clansmen were obliterated by the residual shockwaves.

Amidst the overwhelming impact, His inner shock remained long uncalmed.

Remember, "Gu Tai Xuan Tian" was created by Him in an exceedingly distant past; fused with the past, He was nearly equivalent to "the past" itself.

Yet that single sword strike had shaken the past?!

【Is this what Tai Xuan meant by "beyond holding the Dao"?】

Thoughts flashed like lightning; maintaining the stability of "the past," Gu spoke coldly again.

"Inscribe: Eternal Scar."

Zzzzz~!

A sword light identical to before surged toward Xu Xing—extracted by Him from the "past" fragment of that very strike, using His fusion with the past.

Yet the supreme sharpness within it made even Gu, empowered by the past domain, feel overwhelmed.

"Your technique might as well be renamed 'Turn Stars and Shift Constellations.'"

Xu Xing raised his sword and easily blocked the very sword light he had just unleashed.

Meanwhile, Gu seized this opportunity to shift "Gu Tai Xuan Tian."

After that single strike, He had confirmed that even with the empowerment of His past domain, He could not possibly overcome the Master Jianzu.

So why let the Cang clans' youths continue to suffer losses?

The past is so vast, let alone that swordlight, like a persistent sore, has already been exhausted due to guidance; as long as He moves away again, even the Master Jianzu could never find Him again!

Boom—!

The entire "Ancient Tai Xuan Tian" trembled, but had not yet shifted far…

"Want to leave?" Unmatched sharpness bloomed behind Him.

"Tai—!" Gu cried out.

"Ah~"

In that sigh, a giant hand of purple qi parted infinite spacetime, encompassing the power of primordial genesis, as if redefining all laws of Dao, evolving the dawn of eras, the origin of the universe.

It pressed heavily upon Xu Xing, who was chasing after "Ancient Tai Xuan Tian."

The supreme power of this palm was such that even Xu Xing had to halt and take it seriously.

Boom!

Boom—!

The boundless power, far beyond the comprehension of any mortal being, seemed to shatter infinite spacetime into pure nothingness.

In an instant or an eternity, the calamity that had reached countless past spacetimes finally ceased.

In the emptiness so absolute that even the concept of spacetime no longer existed, only the "Conceptual Synthesis" — the Dao Slave — remained, along with tens of thousands of young Cang clansmen who had been transformed into strange crystals by its influence.

Not a single error in word, syllable, or content!

Even the "nothingness" devoid of any "existence" was again woven into new "concepts" and "meanings" under its influence.

And the Dao Slave itself was slowly infiltrating the present world during this process.

If left unchecked, this Dao Slave would one day cross the distant past and appear in the Central Continent, where the laws of Dao were most rigid.

Clearly, this was Gu's method to restrain Xu Xing.

But he truly could not ignore it.

He gazed at the slowly rotating Dao Slave, composed of countless facets and edges, its interior flowing with the light of "concepts."

"So it's a method similar to Hun Tian Yi's…."

He had been slightly surprised when he sensed residual traces of the swordlight he had severed long ago.

Gu had not eradicated it all this time.

So he simply traced it back to its source — yet never imagined his reward would be greater than he'd imagined!

Not to mention, just from that fleeting glimpse, plus this Dao Slave, he could now determine exactly what method Tai Xuan Tian had used to create His supreme Dao.

Moreover, Tai Xuan Tian's concern was not only his displayed "Dao Confusion" state.

It was also to watch over the Cang clans' Heavenly Generals within Ancient Tai Xuan Tian, who were using "Hun Tian Yi's" method to contemplate the final step.

He opened his hand and reached for the Dao Slave.

Sssss~

Fine crimson swordlight wove into a net, stretching toward the Dao Slave, severing its connection to the Dao and laws of heaven and earth, finally wrapping it tightly and clenching it in his palm.

As for the strange crystals formed from the Cang clansmen, they were directly erased at their root by crimson swordthreads.

Gazing at this void devoid of any "existence," Xu Xing's figure gradually faded and vanished.

He had no intention of pursuing Gu.

As before, the past was His domain; no being could kill Him within the past, not even the current Xu Xing.

…………

Present world, Western Star Region, Yuling Star System.

Yuling Interstellar Hotel, top floor.

Inside a meditation chamber, the pure, fragrant incense wove thickly, yet not a single soul was present.

Huh~

Accompanied by a soft exhalation from nowhere, a figure appeared out of thin air atop the meditation cushion in the center of the chamber.

It was Xu Xing.

After glancing at the gently rising pure incense smoke, he focused his attention on his palm.

In his palm, fine crimson swordthreads tightly bound the Dao Slave; under his deliberate control, the Dao Slave — once expanded to stellar size — was now no larger than a palm.

Its exterior was completely obscured by the swordthreads, revealing not a single trace.

Otherwise, the Dao Slave's expansion speed in the present world would far exceed that in Ancient Tai Xuan Tian; not just the Yuling Interstellar Hotel, but neighboring star systems would be utterly consumed in an instant.

"Dao Slave…"

Tai Xuan Tian's supreme Dao was truly not ordinary.

Like the human "Dao Extreme" method, if one fails to breach the Immortal Gate, one either perishes outright, dissolving into Dao.

Or barely withstands the backlash of failure, requiring an extremely long time to recover.

Beyond these, no third possibility exists.

But this Dao Slave…

Is the byproduct of a cultivator who could not sustain their own Dao, after their self has dissolved.

"It could be sent to Master Qi for study."

He loved studying such strange, yet dangerously potent things.

He clasped his hands, sealed the Dao Slave bound by swordthreads with layered prohibitions, then rose to his full height.

The Cang clans' Heavenly Generals hid within "Ancient Tai Xuan Tian," seeking advancement.

Though they won't achieve it soon, preparations must still be made. (End of Chapter)