Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 435 Win!
In the distant depths of the universe, there lies a shattered battlefield of celestial meteors.

Yu Kong remained suspended in place, his mind still immersed in the terrifying cosmic fluctuations he had just experienced.

Right now!

hum!
Another wave of energy is coming!
This time, it was no longer boundless, but an end that cut everything down like a sharp sword!

Immediately afterwards, he sensed that the aura of "Senior Guixu" that had previously made him feel both familiar and fearful seemed to have stabilized.

It's no longer that violent, seemingly threatening-to-tear-the-universe attitude.

Or has it become more reserved?
Like the calm after a storm, yet it conceals an even deeper, more unfathomable power.

"Senior won?"

A hint of wild joy flashed in Yu Kong's eyes!
Although we don't know what exactly happened to the senior, that evil and filthy aura has disappeared! The senior's aura has stabilized!

This is undoubtedly the best outcome!

"That's fantastic! Senior is truly invincible!"

Yu Kong was so excited he could hardly contain himself!

He bowed deeply once again in the direction from which the aura came!
My admiration for that "Senior Guixu" has reached its peak!

At the same time, an even stronger thought was growing wildly in his mind!
follow!

We must follow in the footsteps of our predecessors!
Even if I can only follow behind and see the view from a higher vantage point!

He was unaware that the "Senior Guixu" he revered was not at some high place overlooking the scenery at that moment.

He simply returned to a small place called "Kaoshan Sect".

Standing in front of a dilapidated cave.

Watching quietly.

He let the mountain wind blow, stirring the corner of his clothes, which was stained with a trace of dust and blood.

His journey is still long.

His enemies are far from being eliminated.

Returning is just the beginning.

A storm that will sweep across all the heavens and myriad realms, involving the cause and effect of countless eras, has only just begun!

The mountain wind howled through the ruins of the Kaoshan Sect, carrying a chilling scent unique to those who had survived the bloodshed.

Xu Ran's figure did not truly disappear.

Like a ghost, a traveler who had traversed endless time and space, he appeared silently in the depths of the Kaoshan Sect, before that cave dwelling that he remembered so well.

Time has left its mark on this cave dwelling.

The once-secure barrier has now become dim and lifeless, the stone door at the cave entrance is half-closed, covered with cobwebs and thick with dust.

This place seems to have been forgotten for a very, very long time.

Xu Ran stood there quietly, not going in immediately.

His gaze, as if piercing through eternity, landed on the dust-covered stone gate.

In a daze, he seemed to see that naive boy from back then, filled with longing for cultivation, excited and nervous as he first stepped into this place.

I saw that figure, working tirelessly day and night to become stronger.

I saw that gentle senior sister under the lamplight, who would occasionally bring me medicine and offer her caring greetings.

Memories surge in like a tide, but recede quietly upon touching the cold reefs of reality, leaving only a silent sigh.

He stretched out his hand, a barely perceptible wisp of gray air swirling around his fingertips.

That was the last trace left behind when fighting against the remaining will of the "source of filth".

It wasn't that he couldn't completely eliminate it, but rather that this wisp of aura contained something he needed to carefully analyze.

That "source of filth" is not simply a collection of evil energy; its essence seems to touch upon the opposite of some ancient and forbidden origin of the universe.
Xu Ran's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

That battle, though seemingly overwhelming, was in fact extremely dangerous.

He used not only the power he had accumulated, but also a forbidden technique closely related to his own path!

Otherwise, relying solely on the power of the Returning to Nothingness Realm would be no easy task in completely eradicating that filthy will that has remained undying through countless eras of decay.

The price he paid was the deep wound in his body that was like a leech, impossible to heal completely!
It wasn't a physical injury, but a collision and backlash at the level of the Great Dao!

The bloodstains at the corner of his mouth were not from weakness, but from the slight traces that escaped when his own Great Dao was operating and forcibly erasing the alien laws.

His path is annihilation, end, and return to nothingness!
And that "source of filth" seems to represent some kind of twisted, insane "life"?
A mode of existence completely different from the normal cosmic order?

"Humph"

A low, cold snort escaped from Xu Ran's nostrils, carrying an endless chill.

Whatever it is, since it is an enemy, there is only annihilation!
Without further hesitation, he gently brushed his fingers across the stone gate.

The remaining, dim restrictions melted away silently, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun.

The heavy stone door slowly opened inward, raising a cloud of dust.

The scene inside the cave came into view.

Simple, plain, even rudimentary.

A stone bed, a futon, and a smooth stone wall, on which faint scratches seem to remain from years of sword practice.

Nothing else.

But this simple scene stirred a ripple in Xu Ran's heart, which had been frozen for millions of years.

He slowly walked in.

The footsteps sounded exceptionally clear in the empty and silent cave.

He walked to the stone bed, looked at the dusty surface, and remained silent.

Back then, he spent countless sleepless nights here, contemplating the world and tempering himself.

He then looked at the prayer mat.

Back then, he sat right here, repeatedly pushing his limits, persevering through failures and pain.

Finally, his gaze fell on the stone wall.

My fingertips gently traced the faint sword marks.

Every mark represents a drop of sweat, a realization, and a yearning for power!
Things are wrong.

The desire back then was for protection.

But the power we have now has borne too much and destroyed too much.

He slowly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the dusty futon.

hum!
An invisible aura slowly spread out from him.

It wasn't intentional; rather, it was the vast, cosmic power within him that flowed naturally as he healed his injuries.

The dust inside the cave was swept away by this aura and vanished without a trace, leaving the entire cave spotless and somewhat restored to its former appearance.

But the air was thick with the quiet, timeless scent of "the passing years," which seemed to permeate the atmosphere.

Xu Ran's mind sank into his body.

Deep within his dantian, there seemed to exist an endless, dark starry sky. At the very center of this starry sky was a "ruin" that was constantly collapsing and obliterating everything!
That is his Dao, his origin—the Void!
At this moment, at the edge of this Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness, a wisp of extremely thin yet incredibly stubborn gray current is constantly impacting the boundary of the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness.

This gray current of energy exudes a nauseating, chaotic, and insane sense of "life," which is incompatible with the "annihilation" attribute of the Ruins of Return. They repel and destroy each other!

Each collision would stir up a ripple on Xu Ran's Dao Origin, bringing an indescribable stinging pain.

This is the wound of the Dao!

If it were anyone else, even an ordinary powerful cultivator at the Heavenly Ascension Realm, being tainted by the backlash of this filthy will would likely erode their Dao foundation, causing their cultivation to regress at best, and their Dao to vanish and their life to end at worst!
But Xu Ran is different.

His path to the void is the end of everything, the power to annihilate all things!
"Refining!"

With a thought, Xu Ran caused the Sea of ​​Return to Ruins to accelerate its operation!
An endless force of annihilation, like billions of black chains, instantly coiled around that wisp of gray air!
Chi Chi Chi!
Like a red-hot iron being plunged into ice water!
A fierce, silent struggle erupted from the depths of his being!

The gray air currents twisted wildly, creating all sorts of illusions, emitting silent roars and curses, attempting to pollute the purity of the Ruins.

But the power of the Void is vast and boundless, cold and ruthless!

No matter how the gray currents shifted or struggled, they were gradually eroded and decomposed by that endless force of annihilation, until they were completely reduced to nothingness!
This process, though seemingly simple, actually took a lot of effort from Xu Ran.

a long time.

After the last wisp of gray air was completely swallowed up and extinguished by the void.

Only after the Great Dao within Xu Ran's body began to circulate did it regain its harmony and smoothness.

The stinging pain originating from the Dao wound slowly disappeared.

However, his tightly furrowed brows did not completely relax.

By refining this wisp of filthy will, he gleaned a disturbing glimpse of information.

The so-called "source of filth" is not an isolated phenomenon.

Behind it seems to be an unimaginably vast system!

A dark realm that is completely contrary to the existing laws of all the heavens and myriad worlds?

"Land of Decay"

An ancient and taboo name flashed through Xu Ran's mind.

Those were fragments he had stumbled upon during his endless cycle of battles, from the ruins of some extremely ancient and long-extinct civilizations.

Legend has it that in the beginning of chaos, at the very start of the universe, there was not only "birth" and "order".

Along with them came the opposites of "death" and "chaos"!
That "rotten land" is the final destination of all negative, chaotic, and distorted rules.
The "source of filth" is very likely just a tiny, insignificant force seeping out from that "rotten land".

"trouble."

Xu Ran opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them.

This encounter, while seemingly resolving the immediate crisis, has actually revealed the tip of a far more terrifying iceberg!
He could sense that with his action and the complete annihilation of that corrupt will, some kind of unseen "gaze" seemed to have noticed him!
It did not come from those ancient beings who feared him.

Instead, they came from a more distant, darker, and unknown place!

"It seems that peaceful days are ultimately a luxury."

Xu Ran stood up and dusted off non-existent dust.

He didn't leave immediately.

Instead, they walked to the depths of the cave, to a seemingly ordinary stone wall.

He stretched out his hand, his fingertips gently tapping the stone wall in some mysterious pattern.

Buzz

On the stone wall, light flowed and countless fine runes appeared.

These runes are ancient and obscure, each containing unimaginable power.

They moved slowly, intertwined, and finally snapped, like living things!
The stone wall silently slid open to both sides, revealing a deep passage that could only accommodate one person at a time!

Inside the passage, it was pitch black, without any light, except for an aura of "time" that was even stronger than outside the cave, which rushed towards us.

It's as if this passage connects not to the interior of the mountain, but to another ancient time and space that has been sealed away!
This was the real contingency plan he left behind when he left the Backing Sect!

This was another important purpose of his return trip, besides healing his injuries and taking a look at his old haunts!

He needs to retrieve something.

Some things that will give him more trump cards in the upcoming storm!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Ran stepped into the deep passage.

The figure was instantly swallowed up by the endless darkness.

The stone wall slowly closed, returning to its original state as if nothing had happened.

Only the faint, cold, and desolate aura belonging to Xu Ran within the cave proved that he had returned.

Kaoshan Sect, Main Peak Hall.

The atmosphere remained somewhat oppressive.

Although the terrifying crack disappeared and the evil aura dissipated, Xu Ran's appearance and departure were both too sudden and too mysterious.

His seemingly injured appearance at the end, and his words "Wait for me," filled everyone with doubt and worry.

"Sect Master, what happened to Senior Brother Xu?" an elder couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling slightly.

The sect leader of the Reliance Mountain Sect, an old man with white hair and beard, also looked solemn. He shook his head with a wry smile: "I can't see through it."

He had lived for thousands of years and considered himself to be quite knowledgeable, but Xu Ran gave him the feeling of facing a bottomless abyss!

Just by standing there, the invisible pressure emanating from him made this dignified sect leader feel terrified and dare not even breathe loudly.

"What exactly is in that crack?" another elder asked, still shaken. "I feel it's a thousand times more terrifying than the legendary extraterrestrial demons!"

"I don't know," the sect leader sighed, "but what is certain is that Xu Ran—no, perhaps we should call him Senior Guixu—protected our Kaoshan Sect from a catastrophic disaster!"

When everyone heard this, they were all silent.

Yes, no matter what Xu Ran has become, no matter what he has been through, today, he saved the entire Kao Shan Sect!

This kindness is as heavy as Mount Tai!
Xu Qing* stood silently in the corner, his gaze fixed on the direction where Xu Ran had disappeared—the inconspicuous cave dwelling located in the back mountain.

Her heart felt more at ease than before.

Junior brother is back.

Although he seemed to have changed a lot, becoming cold, unfamiliar, and so powerful that she felt suffocated.

But she could sense that beneath his cold exterior, there was still something familiar to her.

Especially when he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and stopped her from going forward, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a certain emotion in the depths of his eyes—an emotion that seemed to be unwilling to let her worry.
And that phrase, "Wait for me."

It is simple, yet it contains a promise.

"Well, I'll wait for you."

Xu Qinghan silently said to herself, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

No matter what you do, no matter what you face, I will be here waiting for you to come back.

At the same time, an unprecedented longing rose in her heart!

Become stronger!

She wants to become stronger too!
(End of this chapter)