Chapter 1624: The Seeker's Obsession

The White Bone Sect was deathly silent.

Everything was in order, returned to normal.

Even the Dao Merging Divine Monarch of this sect began to wake from his daze, a trace of doubt surfacing in his heart. He carefully sensed for a long time, yet found nothing amiss, and could only bury this moment of doubt deep within himself before sinking back into cultivation.

No one knew that beyond karma and space, a terrifying killing intent surged like a tide, churning and boiling.

"These two people,"

"How could such two people know this Monarch's movements?"

Jiang Dingleng murmured coldly.

On this trip to the Upper Realm, from beginning to end he had carried out the highest standard of concealment, never relaxing even once, never touching any karma, even the flow of time itself had been greatly smoothed over, making him nearly impossible to find even through Heavenly Being divination.

Even counting the concealment of the Fortune-Suppressing Treasure, a Jiang Jiang Jinxian-level existence might not necessarily know of his existence.

However!

Such a high-grade concealment was still seen through by two Dao Merging Divine Monarchs — two weaklings beneath the Heavenly Being realm.

This was simply horrifying, stirring up a violent killing intent within him, nearly making him unable to resist silencing them on the spot.

Past friendship?

Great Love Divine Monarch aside, he had no friendship with him.

In the past, it had always been a relationship of you do the work and I pay, both sides purely transactional, no friendship.

As for Li Qingyun Divine Monarch Han Lin, there was some friendship between them. Their past interactions could be called a gentleman's friendship, plain as water, almost equals dealing with equals.

What does equal mean?

Ordinary interests could be conceded, yielded.

But Fellow Daoist, since you have taken the initiative to involve yourself in my Great Dao, affecting my life and safety, please go die!

Because I believe that if you stood in my position, you would do the same.

This is equality.

Every cultivator must fight for their own Great Dao.

Since Han Lin has taken the initiative to affect the Great Sun Sword Lord's life safety, he must face the Great Sun Sword Lord's counterattack — this is the natural heavenly principle.

For a single instant, these two people nearly died.

And they would certainly have died instantly.

Beneath a Dao Child, no one could withstand a Pure Yang Sword Son's premeditated ambush, even having life-preserving trump cards at the Heavenly Being level would be useless.

But at the very last moment, the Pure Yang Sword Son hesitated.

"These two people,"

"Something's wrong!"

"They're very wrong."

Jiang Dingleng murmured coldly: "They can vaguely judge the places where I might appear. Moreover, the growth of these two's strength is far too fast!"

"Now, they actually already possess strength comparable to Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's inheritance disciples."

"Not a foundation that has reached the level of Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's inheritance disciples' strength,

but rather strength possessed through treasures or some kind of trump card. This is far too strange — they are two anomalies…"

"Anomalies…"

Thinking of this, Jiang Dingleng fell silent.

In years past, the great powers of the previous generation's Badaxian Sect often called him an anomaly, meaning beyond reason.

Now, unexpectedly, he himself had encountered anomalies.

These two people must certainly possess heaven-shocking heavy treasures and fortuitous encounters!

However, what was both very abnormal and perfectly logical was that the Great Lie Yang Jianzi had no greed or desire to seize them — the pride in his heart would not permit such a thing, sinking into becoming a demonic cultivator who kills for treasure.

"This Monarch's sword,"

"Can pluck anything beneath the heavens, even an immortal!"

Jiang Dingleng said coldly.

He would absolutely never execute any living being that had not violated the Immortal Gate's laws, would absolutely never violate his own principles — otherwise, even if he obtained a great fortuitous encounter, his Sword Dao would come to an end along with it, no longer possessing the pride of the Sword Dao.

As for immortals…

Jiang Dingleng inexplicably knew that beneath the heavens, there should be no external force that could make one become an immortal.

If the pride of the Sword Dao in his heart were gone, then truly everything would be lost, a complete fall.

"Enough…"

"Since they are anomalies, and since I did not choose to strike at that time, let it be."

Jiang Dingleng sighed softly.

His figure left the White Bone Sect, vanishing from sight.

The risk level of this place had risen, no longer safe — he now needed a safer place, at the very least one far, far away from here.

But, anomalies…

Anomalies…

……

Unknowingly, another thousand-plus years had passed.

In the Yang Thunder Domain, within the Central Domain belonging to the Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm.

Two Dao Merging loose cultivators were being pursued by a Thunder Yang inheritance sword cultivator, fleeing while vomiting great mouthfuls of blood, their bodies covered in wound after wound, finally narrowly escaping through a teleportation array they had pre-set in this place.

After each finding a separate place to heal for nearly a hundred years, the two reunited once more.

They exchanged a glance, each able to see the anxiety in the other's heart.

"The Upper Realm is becoming more and more dangerous now."

"The slaughter between the Grand Yin-Yang Sword Realm and the Thunder Yang Heaven Sword Realm, the war between the Celestial Beast Garden and the Seven Kill Immortal Palace — I hear even the quasi-immortal clans are restless… There is simply no peaceful place left!"

The swarthy-complexioned youth said coldly.

Beside him, the White-Faced Divine Lord did not answer his question. With resolute steps he walked toward the mountain gate of an unremarkable Void-Training-grade true sect called the Black Sword Sect, stopped at the Scripture Pavilion, and bowed with utmost reverence.

"I pay respects—"

"Canghai Tianjun!"

There was no response, nor did he rise.

After a long while, he changed

direction and repeated the act.

No miracle occurred, just as countless times over the past several thousand years — making one suspect the two of them had already gone mad.

Because the Heavenly Being path was hopeless, they had indeed gone mad.

Several years later, the White-Faced Divine Lord rose, sighed softly, and gestured to the swarthy-complexioned youth.

This time the swarthy-complexioned youth offered neither cutting remarks nor complaints. He sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist, are you at early Dao Merging or mid Dao Merging?"

"How long has your cultivation stagnated?"

"Cultivation…"

The White-Faced Divine Lord was silent for a long while.

"Mid Dao Merging. It has not changed at all in ten thousand years — I've hit a bottleneck. This is the fate of our damaged foundations; even with occasional fortuitous encounters, it ends here."

"Loose cultivators are just like this — we have reached the limit of life."

"Compared to the countless living beings of the Northern Plains Lesser Realm tens of thousands of years ago, we have already fared far better. We truly should not harbor any unwillingness."

"Perhaps we should seek out a place now and found a Dao sect. Even if we ourselves cannot achieve longevity, among our descendants there may yet be one who can."

"Countless years ago, the Pure Yang Ancestor of the Grand Yin-Yang Sword Realm must have been in the same situation as us, no?"

"This, too, counts as a kind of alternative longevity."

The Great Love Divine Lord's countless deductions and countless experiences all pointed toward one faint result.

The Heavenly Being path — too difficult.

The Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong's Supreme — too terrifying.

Even with countless opportunities, he had never once succeeded. It was as if each were a being fated by destiny, with the nodes of fate blocking the way ahead — no matter what, he could not circumvent them in the slightest; the moment he tried, he died instantly.

Fate had already reached a dead knot.

"Go seek an alternative longevity…"

The swarthy-complexioned youth stood dazed.

A wild boy from a mountain village back then — walking all the way to today, should he be content?

Alternative longevity: though the body perishes, the sect and its lineage continue, and after millions or tens of millions of years there are still those who remember. Can such a thread of faint hope fill the unwillingness in one's heart?

Countless thoughts arose within the Sea of Consciousness.

Give up just like this?

"I pay respects—"

"Little Martial Uncle!"

The swarthy-complexioned youth faced one direction, his voice hoarse as he bowed, his body stilling and not moving again.

This scene made him inexplicably recall that year — the first time the two had met. Both were youths, both mortals, in that broken-down temple, exchanging a casual glance.

All was silent.

The swarthy-complexioned youth continued in this manner for several years, then slowly rose. Meeting the gaze of the one beside him, both felt a gloom in their hearts.

"This place is not it."

"Let's go…"

The White-Faced Divine Lord was about to say something when suddenly his body trembled and a look of wild joy appeared on his face.