Fantasy: I, the Great Celestial Venerable of the Dao

The turmoil in Black Fiend Valley was like a sudden thunderstorm.

After Dao Xuan manifested his divine power and used thunder to suppress the world through his nine external avatars.

It stopped abruptly, disappearing even faster than it had arrived.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching all corners of the world at an astonishing speed.

"Nine Taiyi incarnations guarded him, and Dao Xuan Zhenren's words intimidated the Heavenly Sword Sect Master!"

"With a mere wave of his hand, he shattered the Second Tribulation Sword Qi; Ling Juexiao coughed up blood and fled in defeat, the Heavenly Sword Sect retreating in panic!"

"At the gates of Qingyun Mountain, thousands of cultivators fell silent in fear, while the aquatic spies revealed their true colors and fled for their lives!"

Each rumor shook the listener to their core, leaving them both incredulous and compelled to believe it.

After all, thousands of cultivators gathered outside Qingyun Mountain that day.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, one cannot fake it.

Dao Xuan's unfathomable strength, and those nine terrifying incarnations.

This completely overturned many people's understanding of Qingyun Sect and Dao Xuan himself.

Originally, there were some forces that harbored ulterior motives or were dissatisfied with Qingyun.

They all backed down and dared not test the waters again.

Zhongzhou, at least on the surface, has fallen into an unusual calm.

The various sects and factions continued their usual exchanges, and when they discussed the Battle of the East Sea and the Black Fiend Valley,

His tone carried a newfound respect and caution.

The voice of Qingyun Sect grew heavier without them even realizing it.

However, beneath this calm surface, the undercurrents never cease.

Ghost Valley

Yin Jiuyou sat idly on a high place, listening to his trusted confidant Guijiu give a detailed report on everything that had happened outside the Qingyun Mountain gate.

The eerie green flames flickered in his empty eye sockets.

His pale face looked even more sinister.

"...Nine beings who appear to be incarnations of the Taiyi Realm?"

Yin Jiuyou's voice was hoarse and dry, "What a Dao Xuan, what a Qingyun Sect!"

It was hidden so well!

Ghost Vulture lowered his head and said, "Valley Master, although the auras of those nine avatars are strong, they appear somewhat rigid and not like living beings."

It's more like some kind of corpse-refining puppet, or an external avatar technique.

Even so, he can simultaneously control nine avatars at the Taiyi level.

Dao Xuan's cultivation and control over his primordial spirit had reached an inconceivable level.

The Heavenly Sword Sect has truly bitten off more than they can chew this time, suffering a complete loss of face.

"That good-for-nothing Ling Juexiao!"

Yin Jiuyou snorted coldly.

"He thought he could run rampant after reaching the second level of Taiyi, but he didn't even know the extent of his opponent's strength before he made a rash move and brought shame upon himself!"

Our plans have also failed!

He paused, his fingertips unconsciously tapping on the cold, white bone armrest:

"That aquatic spy...has been exposed?"

"Yes. It is said that he was exposed on the spot by Dao Xuan and fled back to the East Sea in a sorry state."

Ghost Vulture whispered, "As for Ao Guang, I'm afraid..."

"Hmph, he tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead."

Ghost flames flickered in Yin Jiuyou's eyes.

"That old mudfish Ao Guang has been scheming his whole life, and this time he's probably going to be so angry that his dragon whiskers stand on end."

But... this is for the best.

The stronger Dao Xuan is, the more of an eyesore he becomes.

This time, he not only humiliated the Heavenly Sword Sect, but also embarrassed the Dragon Clan.

Leaving aside Ling Juexiao for the moment, given Ao Guang's temperament, he would never let this go easily.

We simply need to... observe the situation and act when the opportunity arises.

"What about Baixiaoge...?"

"Temporarily sever direct contact and remain silent."

That Lan Ming... is indeed a rare talent, but unfortunately, he didn't hide his true colors well this time.

Let's see how Ao Guang handles it.

Yin Jiuyou waved his hand, "Go down and continue to monitor the movements of all parties, especially the East Sea and Qingyun Mountain."

"Yes."

Wanghai City, Zhiwei Alley, Baixiao Pavilion.

The shop had been closed for many days, and a thin layer of dust had settled on the door panels.

In the secret chamber behind the main hall, the blue-robed youth, Ao Ming, sat alone in the darkness.

In front of him lay a black scale communication talisman that had just lost its luster and cracked in two.

That was a high-level reprimand from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

Although not a single word came.

But the very shattering of the scales, and the lingering trace of the cold, furious dragon might belonging to Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea.

That has already explained everything.

The plan failed, the spy was exposed, and the enemy was alerted.

This gave Dao Xuan the leverage to allow the Dragon Clan to secretly interfere in the internal affairs of the Human Clan!

Although Dao Xuan did not publicly proclaim it, this thorn had already been planted.

Ao Ming could imagine that at this moment, in the East Sea Dragon Palace, was his nominal father.

How furious they would be.

He could almost hear the loud bang of the crystal table being shattered by a single blow.

You can feel the terrifying dragon's might sweeping across the deep sea.

We can almost "hear" that cold, unspoken judgment that is inevitably present:

"Useless! If you do it again, don't bother coming back!"

In the silent, secret room, a very soft laugh, yet seemingly containing endless coldness and resentment, rang out.

"Heh... Father? What a... father."

Ao Ming muttered to himself, his pale fingers tracing the broken scales, his fingertips icy cold.

"Chess pieces...chess pieces that can be discarded at any time..."

The stain of impure bloodline...

You have never regarded me as your son, so why should I... regard you as my father as well?

He had little fatherly affection for Ao Guang; his feelings were only deep fear and exploitation.

Now, this fear is mixed with deep resentment and unwillingness.

And the source of all this humiliation and crisis—Dao Xuan!

That woman in flowing white robes, seemingly an immortal, repeatedly thwarted his plans.

This made him, like a stray dog, live in constant fear and anxiety!

"Dao Xuan..." Ao Ming gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a deep blue light, as if they contained the deepest hatred in the ocean.

"Someday...someday..."

He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his churning emotions and hatred.

Now is not the time to vent.

The exposed hidden lines need to be cut off, the remaining traces need to be erased, and more importantly...

He must survive, continue to lie low in Middle-earth, until... he finds a new opportunity.

"Bai Xiaoge is no longer usable..."

He thought quickly.

"A new identity, a new base, and a more covert method are needed..."

"We can't rely on the Dragon Palace's resources for the time being; we can only rely on ourselves, and... those 'allies' in the Western Wilderness and Southern Underworld?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

A chess piece can not necessarily be used against a chess player.

He stood up, took one last look at the newly opened secret room, and his figure gradually faded away.

It transformed into a wisp of almost imperceptible water vapor, silently merging into the underground escape waterway that had been prepared long ago.

He vanished completely from the seaside city where he had once stirred up so much trouble.

The Dragon Palace of the East Sea, the Crystal Palace.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

The furious roar of the dragon shook the entire palace, shattering precious deep-sea coral ornaments into pieces.

The Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang, had bristling hair and beard, and his eyes were crimson gold. His terrifying dragon might was like a tangible tsunami, crashing wildly through the palace.

Below, the Turtle Prime Minister, Shrimp Marshal, Crab General, and other important sea creature officials prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling and not daring to breathe.

"A mere trick to sow discord was seen through by Dao Xuan at a glance!"

He spared their lives so they could warn me to my face!

Ao Guang slammed his palm down, shattering the table beside him, which was carved from ten-thousand-year-old cold jade, sending shards of jade flying everywhere.

"Where's Ao Ming?! Where's that good-for-nothing?!"

The Prime Minister, his voice trembling, replied, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion is deserted, and the Third... Third Prince... his whereabouts are unknown..."