A Lifetime Seeking the Dao

Under Old Demon Ye's gaze, Bai dutifully activated the final restriction of the Reception Platform, then stepped back to clear the way for him. Old Demon Ye withdrew his gaze and took a step forward. Watched by all, Old Demon Ye ascended the sky step by step toward the formation diagram at the heart of the storm. Within the tempest, Old Demon Ye strolled as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard, the Yin-Yang Ge flitting back and forth around him to ward off the gale as he mounted the apex of the formation diagram one step at a time. This process seemed effortless, yet it was fraught with perilous extremes. The spatial turbulence had already spread to this point. The storm grew ever more terrifying, shredding everything into a scene of chaos with unimaginable ferocity. The formation diagram hung suspended above, directly facing the Reception Platform. Cyan light shone dazzlingly, its outline growing clearer by the second. Old Demon Ye stepped firmly onto it and looked down at the formation diagram beneath his feet. The diagram was the exact size of the top of the Reception Platform. By now, its form could no longer be considered a mere diagram; rather, it had become a square cyan platform. The cyan platform was densely covered in tadpole-like runes, each infinitely profound. A single glance brought a wave of dizziness, forcing Old Demon Ye to swiftly pull his gaze away. Standing here, the fury of the storm was even more violent. Old Demon Ye had to channel the Yin-Yang Ge to shield himself continuously just to keep his footing on the cyan platform. The moment he stepped onto the cyan platform, Old Demon Ye felt a faint resonance originating from beyond the spatial void, in a distant, unknown realm—the destination to which the Reception Platform would take them. Ascension? Or teleportation? Old Demon Ye was not certain. He had been on guard against Jade Bone, and Jade Bone had likewise been on guard against his betrayal, swearing an oath that only after successfully departing this realm would it lay bare the truth to him. Consequently, Old Demon Ye knew very little. Yet he knew one thing clearly: no matter what lay on the other side or what dangers lurked there, he had to leave. He had traversed every corner of the Beichen Realm. He had once ventured beyond the Beichen Realm, traveling through the Three Realms of the North Sea and challenging the masters of those three realms. In the end, he discovered that it was merely a larger cage. Surrounding the three realms were boundless storms. Whichever direction one chose to depart, the ultimate outcome was either death by exhaustion or returning dejectedly in defeat. It was said that within the storms of the Three Realms of the North Sea lay a path that might lead to other realms. Yet, like the Deity Transformation stage, that existed only in legends, its truth unknown. No matter how supreme one's talent or peerless one's cultivation, one remained nothing more than a prisoner in a cage. Old Demon Ye refused to spend his life trapped here. Breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage had not brought him much joy, for he knew his chances of reaching Deity Transformation were slim. He refused to live as an ephemeral mayfly. He had to seize every opportunity to see and experience the vaster landscapes of the world, even if what lay beyond the Reception Platform was a dragon's pool or a tiger's den—he would have no regrets! Ye Qiudao. A lifetime seeking the Dao. Forging ahead without turning back. To die without regret! At this thought, Old Demon Ye glanced down at Bai, his eyes flickering. Prying information from Jade Bone was out of the question; he would rather plunge alone into the unknown and confront the danger than rescue Jade Bone to bargain with it. Meanwhile, Bai seemed closely tied to Qin Sang and Qingjun, possessed a mysterious background, and knew the Reception Platform inside out, evidently privy to many secrets. Cooperation with him was not out of the question. The cyan platform stood high in the firmament. Old Demon Ye swept his gaze across his surroundings and noticed that under the persistent effects of the phenomena in the Inner Hall, the Outer Hall had also begun to shake violently, collapsing in vast swathes. With the Soul Nascent Formation used to unseal the Reception Platform, the surrounding ghost mist, no longer driven by the sinister array, gradually thinned. Through the ghost mist, Old Demon Ye caught glimpses of the phenomena within the Inner Hall of Ziwei Palace. By this point, the Inner Hall truly deserved the name of an Immortal Palace. It had completely severed from the Outer Hall, floating a full hundred zhang higher, and was continuing to rise. The Immortal Palace had originally lain hidden deep within the sea of clouds in the ancient immortal battlefield; its frequent early emergences in recent times had been omens of its departure from this realm, and today it had finally broken free from the sea of clouds entirely. Beyond the void, something seemed to be summoning the purple Immortal Palace. Slow at first, its speed grew faster and faster. With every zhang the Immortal Palace ascended, the trembling of the Outer Hall intensified. The Demon Cave had vanished completely. Those peaks and secret realms collapsed one after another, hurtling toward destruction alongside the departure of Ziwei Palace. As the Immortal Palace ascended, the void rift in the sky expanded, space crumbling. Compared to this spatial storm, the storm outside the Beichen Realm was not even worth mentioning. At the same time, the battering Old Demon Ye suffered grew increasingly ferocious, forcing him to channel the Yin-Yang Ge with all his might to shield himself. Inside the Inner Hall, the newly revived celestial realm had fallen once more into devastation. The mountain peaks harboring the Sword Path hall and ancient teleportation array fractured in sequence from the perimeter inward, ground to dust by the spatial turbulence, less than one in ten remaining. The ancient restrictions of the ancient medicinal garden formed vast expanses, flawless as a slab of precious jade, yet fine fissures were faintly visible. At the summit of Tianshan, the Immortal Palace flickered in and out of sight, sometimes scattering and sometimes solidifying. The radiance of immortal restrictions flashed everywhere as the ancient halls on the mountain collapsed in vast tracts. ... Ancient restrictions across various secret realms vied in brilliance, as if struggling to cross a river, barely maintaining themselves against the assault of the spatial turbulence. Throughout this process, the damage to the Immortal Palace was catastrophic. Landmasses fractured one after another, spinning as they were sucked into the spatial storm, only to vanish without a trace. The secret realms and ancient treasures within them naturally disintegrated into nothingness. The only areas that managed to survive were the deeply mysterious core forbidden grounds of the Immortal Palace. The ancient medicinal garden was no exception. Its ancient restrictions could not shelter the living beings within. The glow emanating from the spirit herbs was extinguished one by one, pulverized by the storm seeping in. Occasionally, a few streaks of escape light could still be seen. Some individuals, blinded by greed, had yet to flee the Immortal Palace. Whoosh! Whoosh! They fled in panic and utter regret. Among them, two escape lights were particularly conspicuous. One belonged to Lu Boyuan. He had just emerged from the ancient medicinal garden, a Cold Lizard perched upon his shoulder. Taking in the sight outside, the joy faded from both man and lizard; gasping in cold air, they dared not delay, fleeing together toward the exit of the Inner Hall. The other was Feather Demon King. He was even slower than Lu Boyuan, still maneuvering with difficulty within the ancient medicinal garden, forced to reveal his true form. Given Feather Demon King's status, he could not possibly fail to understand the principle of knowing when to let go; yet he had somehow been enticed by some immortal herb, and now it was too late for regrets. His head lifted from time to time, gazing anxiously up at the firmament. A massive hole had cracked open in the sky. The spatial storm hung suspended like dark clouds, ravaging in all directions. Ziwei Palace was hurtling toward it with an irresistible momentum! The spatial storm was one thing; once it collided with the immortal restrictions of the Inner Hall, the catastrophic scene that would unfold was unimaginable. Anyone trapped in the Inner Hall would stand no chance of surviving the aftermath. ... Outer Hall. The blood altar. Driven by Qingjun, the Heart Demon Puppet Seal covered Jade Bone's entire body. Yet the advantage did not last. Jade Bone completely shed its skin and meridians, retreating into its bones. The others' magic treasures and Daoist arts struck Jade Bone in rapid succession. Yet they could at most damage its skin, unable to leave so much as a mark on the bones. Even the secret treasure unleashed by Daoist Priest Zhenyi proved little more effective. This skeleton of jade bone had been tempered through countless years of painstaking body cultivation by an ancient cultivator; its hardness was simply beyond what Nascent Soul cultivators could easily destroy. Qin Sang's Nine Nether Demonic Fire might have had some effect. Yet he dared not let the demonic fire approach Jade Bone. If Jade Bone seized it, would that not be aiding the enemy? Unfortunately, the Sun God Tree was still unstable; otherwise, had he unleashed the Nanming Primordial Fire, Jade Bone would never have been so rampant. Jade Bone had not surrendered; it was still contesting control with Qingjun, and through its clash with the Heart Demon Puppet Seal, it had begun to discern some of the seal's intricacies. With Jade Bone's vast experience, it naturally was not without countermeasures. It immediately shifted tactics: the purple light contracted, turning dim and obscure, and transformed into turtle-shell-like purple crystals coating every bone in its body. The lightning released by the Demon Binding Rope crashed against the purple crystals with sharp crackles, shattering them. Yet the purple light was relentless, quickly generating new crystals. Though the purple light was steadily depleting in the process, Jade Bone was likely to break free before the light was exhausted! The purple crystals clung tightly to the bones. An inexplicable fluctuation emanated outward, permeating everywhere and infiltrating the Heart Demon Puppet Seal. Reduced to a mere skeleton, Jade Bone twitched as if in spasms, clattering noisily. Before long, one of the puppet seals was nearly pierced by the purple light, on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, Qingjun reacted swiftly, immediately restoring the puppet seal before Jade Bone could break through. Jade Bone let out wild laughter. Once seen through, a mere puppet seal and Demon Binding Rope could never hold it; otherwise, it would have lived until this age in vain! A swarm of ants daring to dream of taking its life! Seeing this, Qingjun dared not divide her attention any longer, driving the puppet seal with all her strength. Not only did Qin Sang control the Demon Binding Rope, but he also commanded the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to search for flaws in Jade Bone, relaying its findings to Qingjun. The effect was pronounced: Qingjun saw through Jade Bone's schemes, countering them in time and temporarily stabilizing the situation. At this moment, Qingjun's voice sounded in Qin Sang's ear: "Go up!" Qin Sang was startled, then grasped her intention. With a thought, he directed the Demon Binding Rope to fly into the storm. Once inside the storm, Bai took over the Demon Binding Rope. In his hands, its power was even greater than in Qin Sang's. Teaming up with Qingjun, they brought Jade Bone straight toward the cyan platform. Qin Sang finally disengaged. He could not help but let out a long breath of relief. The struggle with Jade Bone sounded intricate, yet it had unfolded in mere moments. Qin Sang examined his condition. After enduring two fierce battles in succession, his true essence was more than half depleted; had it gone on much longer, he might have been drained dry by the Demon Binding Rope. Jade Bone's strength had left a profound impression on him. Even after deploying all his magic treasures and having a Nascent Soul talisman puppet at his side, he could only take a beating and flee for his life. If not for the Demon Binding Rope and the Heart Demon Puppet Seal, no one would have been able to restrain Jade Bone! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Figures appeared one after another beside Qin Sang, all looking up at the cyan platform. The cyan platform seemed to possess some magical allure, drawing the eyes of everyone present. The cyan platform represented the unknown. It represented the possibility of the Great Dao! For immortal cultivators, what could be more important than a broader Great Dao? Even a sliver of possibility was enough to drive one mad. At this moment, past grudges with Old Demon Ye faded into insignificance. Indeed, putting themselves in his shoes, they could understand why Old Demon Ye had stopped at nothing to scheme against all living beings. An opportunity not to be missed—they hesitated no longer, throwing themselves recklessly into the storm. Naturally, some hesitated. Some held too many attachments in the mortal world, whether a lover or their sect. They could not let go. Others had overcome countless hardships to finally achieve Nascent Soul; splendid days awaited their enjoyment, and they did not wish to risk their lives right now for that minuscule possibility. The Reception Platform was right here; there would be chances in the future. They chose to give up, quietly observing from below the blood altar. Those trailblazers could forge the path for them. The Nascent Soul cultivators who charged into the storm felt its ferocity firsthand, and their expressions changed drastically. Seeing Old Demon Ye ascend with ease, they had thought the storm's power was manageable. Reality proved that not just anyone could mount the cyan platform. Those at the early Nascent Soul stage encountered a bottleneck first, unable to carry on after covering only half the distance. Unwilling to concede, they unleashed their trump cards, but after forcing themselves up a few steps, they sighed, shook their heads, and retreated in defeat. Very few remained. Bai and Qingjun walked at the very forefront. They advanced with Jade Bone in tow. Qingjun had the hardest task, having to contend with the fiend inside Jade Bone through her puppet seal while resisting the storm at the same time. Bai only needed to maintain the Demon Binding Rope. Qingjun's delicate figure trembled slightly, yet her steps remained exceptionally firm. Bai glanced at her and nodded inwardly. Corpse qi roiled from his body, intermingled with the glow of bone curses, causing his aura to surge. In the ghost mist, he was even more in his element, possessing the spare strength to help shoulder Qingjun's burden. Old Demon Ye withdrew his gaze and glanced at them indifferently. Bound by the oath, he could not help them deal with Jade Bone, but he could aid them in mounting the cyan platform. As for the others, most harbored grudges against Old Demon Ye, and he possessed no such benevolence. Moreover, with the storm growing increasingly violent, Old Demon Ye dared not act carelessly. Thump! Thump! Qingjun and Bai successfully boarded the cyan platform. Close on their heels were Daoist Priest Zhenyi, Daoist Canghong, and Demon Monarch Tongyou. As for the rest, one by one, they gave up. After ingesting elixir pills and recovering some true essence, Qin Sang also made several attempts. Aided by the demonic fire, he pushed hard into the storm, venturing further than other cultivators of the same realm. Yet even if he could reach the cyan platform, he lacked the strength to hold his ground upon it. Naturally, he wished to walk out of the storm belt, to reach a more vibrant and splendid world, and to pursue the Great Dao at a higher realm. Yet the timing was wrong; his cultivation was too weak. This opportunity was destined not to be his! He gave up, descending to the ground to watch Bai and Qingjun standing on the cyan platform from afar, a glimmer of concern flashing in his eyes. Bai's origins were mysterious, and he could not accompany him forever; Qin Sang had long prepared himself for parting. But he had not expected to bid farewell to his Senior Sister so soon. What perils lay on the other side of the Reception Platform? Could they safely pass through the spatial turbulence? Would he himself have a chance to cross over in the future? Everything was unknown. Two dear friends were about to depart, leaving only the oblivious Nascent Soul talisman puppet standing at his side. This parting might very well be forever! Qingjun's strength was peerless in the cultivation world; once the Heart Demon Puppet Seal appeared, none dared underestimate her. Moreover, she was young and free from the pressure of heavenly tribulations, with boundless prospects ahead. Yet after hearing about the Reception Platform's purpose from Bai, she had decided without hesitation to join forces with Bai and venture into a wider world. Though she was not as ruthless as Old Demon Ye, her devotion to the Dao was not in the least inferior. Untethered by mortal karma and standing solitary in the world, she had nothing she cared to cling to or forsake. Jingyu tried pushing forward several times before giving up, landing beside Qin Sang. Noting Qin Sang's expression and knowing what troubled him, she shook her head silently, unsure how to console him. Everyone knew well. The cultivation world held too many variables. For Qingjun and the others, charging forward like moths to a flame in reckless pursuit of the Great Dao, the chances of success were exceedingly slim.