Fantasy: I, the Great Celestial Venerable of the Dao

The sword energy soared into the sky, as if it would cleave the heavens in two.

From dawn till dusk, Daoxuan explained in detail and personally demonstrated.

The disciples were completely absorbed, not daring to miss a single word.

They knew that the sect leader was racing against time to enhance the strength of the entire sect.

In order to prepare for that inevitable catastrophe.

As the sun sets, its afterglow paints Tongtian Peak in a golden-red hue.

The disciples gradually dispersed, some discussing excitedly, others pondering deeply, each feeling a heavy responsibility on their shoulders.

Dao Xuan returned to the quiet courtyard behind the mountain. He had just sat down in the meditation room and had not yet adjusted his breathing.

Then they heard light footsteps outside the door, and a soft, choked voice calling out:

"Master."

The door was gently pushed open, and Zhao Ling'er walked in.

She was wearing a plain white dress, her eyes were slightly red, and her usually bright eyes were now covered with a layer of mist.

She walked up to Dao Xuan and bowed respectfully.

"Ling'er, what's wrong?" Dao Xuan asked gently.

This apprentice had a special background and a kind heart, and he always doted on him.

Ling'er took two steps forward and gently hugged Dao Xuan's arm.

She pressed her forehead against his sleeve, her voice low and hoarse: "My father... he has passed away."

Upon hearing this, Dao Xuan remained silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

The King of Nanzhao was getting old, and he had long sensed this, but he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

He raised his hand and stroked Ling'er's hair: "Want to see him off?"

Ling'er nodded, and tears finally streamed down her face:

"My father... must have missed me terribly in his final days. I should go back."

"Go if you want to," Dao Xuan said gently.

"Go ask your fellow disciples who are willing to accompany you down the mountain together."

Ling'er quickly shook her head: "No need to trouble you, senior brothers, I can go back by myself..."

"They're not afraid of trouble," Dao Xuan smiled, his eyes filled with knowing understanding.

"These lads have probably been itching to get down the mountain for a while now, just waiting for an excuse to go and gain some experience. With them by my side, I feel a bit more at ease."

Ling'er understood her master's unspoken meaning—this was not just about companionship, but also about protection.

With the impending calamity of demons and undercurrents stirring throughout the world, her journey alone was indeed risky.

A warm feeling welled up in her heart, and she hugged Dao Xuan's arm tightly, whispering, "Thank you, Master."

"Go, and return soon. Do not abandon your spiritual practice, but do not neglect your filial piety either."

As Dao Xuan had predicted, many disciples eagerly signed up the next morning upon hearing that they could accompany their junior sister down the mountain.

In the end, a few people were chosen to travel together: Lu Xueqi, Jing Tian, ​​Li Xiaoyao, Tang Xuejian, and others.

After a brief tidying up, the group followed Zhao Ling'er and took off on their swords, transforming into several streaks of light as they sped towards the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Dao Xuan stood atop Tongtian Peak, watching them depart until the light disappeared into the horizon.

The gentleness on his face gradually faded, returning to calm, but deeper within it was a sense of urgent gravity.

He turned and went back to the quiet room, where he sat down cross-legged.

What came to mind, however, was the scene of fighting against the Demon Lord Chonglou back then.

That battle was so fierce that it caused mountains to collapse and the earth to split open.

Chonglou, having crossed over from another realm, was suppressed by the rules of heaven and earth, and could only exert the level of an early-stage Celestial Immortal.

Even so, his fighting instincts and the domineering nature of his demonic arts made it quite difficult for him to cope.

If he were in the Demon Realm, at his peak, Chonglou would probably be at the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm, or even... higher.

He must break through to a higher level within these twenty years.

Just as Dao Xuan was engrossed in his cultivation, three days later at dusk, he suddenly opened his eyes.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, his gaze like lightning, shooting towards the distant northern horizon.

There, a sinister, violent, and rapidly expanding aura broke through a certain critical point!

"Finally... you couldn't hold back anymore?" Dao Xuan murmured, his voice icy.

Without moving his body, he transmitted his thoughts to the neighboring courtyard: "Junior Brother Wan."

Almost instantly, Wan Jianyi, dressed in simple gray clothes and with an aura as restrained as an ordinary person, appeared outside the quiet room.

"Sect Leader, Senior Brother."

"Thirty thousand miles to the north, an evil being has broken through to the Celestial Immortal realm. Its energy is chaotic and malevolent, and it may be the 'Evil Sword Immortal'."

Take Tianyun with you and arrange the surroundings.

"Yes." Wan Jianyi bowed and accepted the order without saying anything more.

Dao Xuan took a step forward, and his figure disappeared from the quiet room.

The next moment, he appeared above the clouds outside Qingyun Mountain.

With another step, the space seemed to fold beneath his feet, and the northern scenery rapidly drew closer.

……

To the north, the Yin Sha Mountains.

This mountain range stretches for thousands of miles and is shrouded in gray-black miasma year-round, devoid of any living creatures.

However, at this moment, the miasma above the mountains had completely transformed into a chilling blackish-purple color.

It wriggles and tumbles like a living creature.

At the heart of the mountain range, a terrifying pressure that made birds and beasts within a radius of ten thousand miles flee in terror and cultivators tremble with fear rose steadily, like a volcanic eruption.

"Hahaha...hahaha!!"

A maniacal, unrestrained laugh filled with endless resentment and greed.

It erupted from the deepest part of the dark purple aura, causing the surrounding rocks to tumble down.

"The realm of celestial beings! This is the realm of celestial beings! Power... inexhaustible power!"

The dark purple aura surged violently, contracted inward, and condensed into a tall, thin human figure.

Its face was blurred, except for a pair of purplish-red eyes that gleamed with an eerie light.

It was the Evil Sword Immortal who had been lying low for many years and had escaped from Mount Shu!

He felt the unprecedented power surging within him and couldn't help but roar to the sky:

"From this day forward, who in this world can stop me? Even if that old scoundrel Dao Xuan comes in person, what can he do to me?!"

"Yeah?"

A calm, clear voice, devoid of any emotion, suddenly rang out over the entire Yin Sha Mountain Range.

The voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out the Evil Sword Immortal's maniacal laughter.

It reached his ears clearly, and seemed to resonate directly in the depths of his soul.

The Evil Sword Immortal's laughter abruptly stopped, as if he had been choked.

Boundless fear, like the coldest venomous snake, instantly shot from his spine to the top of his head!

This fear stems from instinct, from the crushed memories deep within the soul!

He stiffly and slowly turned his head toward the direction from which the sound was coming from.

Suddenly, a figure in blue appeared in mid-air.

The man stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a simple blue robe, with no dazzling light around him.

It had no imposing presence; it simply stood there quietly, yet it seemed to have become the center of heaven and earth.

The clouds parted beneath his feet, and the afterglow of the setting sun gilded him.

His gaze was calmly looking down, like a god looking at ants at his feet.

"Dao... Dao Xuanlao..."

The Evil Sword Immortal's teeth were chattering; he simply couldn't bring himself to utter the word "thief."

All his arrogance and confidence vanished under that gaze.

Escape! We must escape immediately!

Without any hesitation, the black-purple humanoid form that the Evil Sword Immortal had transformed into exploded with a "bang".

It transformed once again into an overwhelming, dense aura of evil.