Sage Wanhua's will withdrew, and the East Sea returned to "calm." Yet beneath that calm, the mindsets and balance of power among all factions had been thoroughly reshaped.
The Dragon Palace submitted, offering treasures and begging forgiveness.
Inside the Crystal Palace, dead silence lingered for a long time.
The Dragon King Ao Guang and the Turtle Prime Minister sat collapsed upon the cold floor like two statues stripped of their souls, the muscles beneath their dragon scales still trembling uncontrollably.
The Holy Word that had directly struck their souls, that gaze which saw through everything.
And that supreme power which had casually dispersed annihilation and driven back the Outer Heavenly Demons had utterly crushed the last remnants of their hope and will to resist.
Hatred? Before such an absolute gap in strength and the threat of death, it seemed laughably weak and pale.
At this moment, their hearts held only lingering fear and the weakness of survivors who had narrowly escaped disaster.
"Y-Your Majesty..." The Turtle Prime Minister's voice was dry as sandpaper. "We... we must show some sincerity... otherwise..."
He did not need to say what would happen otherwise; Ao Guang understood perfectly. Though the Sage had not immediately punished them, the warning still rang in their ears like thunder.
If the Dragon Palace showed no further sincerity, then the next thing to descend might not be a voice, but utter destruction like that which had wiped out the Water Army.
Ao Guang struggled to raise his head. His dragon eyes were filled with desolation, devoid of even a trace of the former East Sea overlord's spirit.
His voice was hoarse, carrying the dispirited resignation of one accepting his fate. "Issue the order... open the Ancestral Dragon Secret Treasury. Take... take the Sea-Calming Divine Pearl, the Ten-Thousand-Year Azure Coral, the Essence of Innate Ren Water... and also.
Retrieve the fragmentary scroll obtained from ancient times, the one that records part of the Primordial Water Element Dao Principles..."
Every item he named was among the Dragon Palace's most tightly guarded treasures, innate rarities and Great Dao inheritances that even the Phoenix Race and Qilin Race would covet.
Especially that fragmentary scroll of the Primordial Water Element Dao Principles, which concerned the secrets of the world's origin and was incomparably precious.
"Prime Minister, you will personally... no, I will go myself!"
Ao Guang struggled to his feet, his dragon body still somewhat weak. "You will accompany me to Myriad Dao Academy... to beg forgiveness!"
He had used the words "beg forgiveness." This meant that the Dragon Race, that ancient race which had once looked down upon the Primordial Era, had completely lowered its proud head before Sage Wanhua.
Several days later, an exceedingly dramatic scene appeared above the East Sea. The East Sea Dragon King Ao Guang brought only the Turtle Prime Minister and a handful of attendants carrying treasures, restraining all dragon might.
Like the humblest of envoys, they arrived outside Myriad Dao Academy.
They made no attempt to enter, merely stopping at a distance beyond the sea region shrouded in Literary Splendor.
Ao Guang personally performed an ancient Dragon Race ritual, bowing deeply in the Academy's direction as he presented the gift list and a written plea for forgiveness, his words earnest and humble in the extreme.
This was no different from announcing to the entire Primordial Era that the Dragon Race had completely submitted to Sage Wanhua.
When the news spread, all factions were shaken once again, and their awe of Sage Wanhua rose to even greater heights.
Within the Academy, Wanhua did not appear. Only a decree was issued. The tribute was accepted, and it said, "Past matters are settled. I hope you will conduct yourselves well, guard the East Sea carefully, and cause no further trouble."
With one light remark, the matter of the Dragon Palace was brought to a close.
Yet everyone understood that after this incident, the East Sea overlord's authority existed in name only. Though Myriad Dao Academy did not claim dominion, it had already become the East Sea's unseen ruler.
The Academy flourished anew, its prospects boundless.
With the Aura of Annihilation completely gone and the Dragon Palace submitted, Myriad Dao Academy entered the best environment for development since its founding.
The gloom that had hung over the Academy for days was swept away, while the Light of Literary Splendor shone more brilliantly than ever before.
Those disciples who had persevered through the crisis, whether in strength of will or understanding of Dao principles, had undergone profound tempering. Many had advanced in cultivation.
After this battle, Xuanjizi not only consolidated his late Golden Immortal cultivation, but his Platform of Seeking Literary Palace, having merged with the realm of The Unchanging Change.
Became even deeper and more vast, faintly showing the aspect of encompassing all phenomena and deducing the cycles of heaven.
His prestige among the disciples was at its peak, and he had become a true pillar of the Academy.
He began systematically organizing the experience gained in facing the Heart of Annihilation and his insights into the principles of Change, setting about compiling Introduction to the Principles of Change to provide guidance for later disciples.
Elder Teng gained a deeper understanding of the Cycle of Wither and Flourish. The several spiritual plants in the Medicine Garden that had been broken before rising anew had become a sight within the Academy, and the vitality Dao rhythm they contained greatly benefited the disciples' cultivation.
Yun Xi's Void-Real Symbiosis Shield became increasingly refined, and she began attempting to apply its principles to reinforce the protective formations around parts of the Academy.
Jin Li, Mingxin, and the others also gained much, their divine abilities becoming more varied and profound.
Even more delightfully, perhaps encouraged by the Academy's successful passage through the crisis and news of the Dragon Palace's submission.
The number of living beings coming to attempt the Three Heart Inquiry Trials reached a peak, including quite a few with extraordinary origins and excellent dispositions.
The Academy's disciple ranks steadily expanded, while the cultivation notes and divine ability deductions within the Scripture Repository became increasingly abundant. It was a scene of flourishing diversity and thriving vitality.
Sage Wanhua occasionally issued decrees to lecture on the Dao. The content became ever more profound, beginning to touch upon the transformations of time and space, karmic entanglements, and even a trace of the mysteries of the Primordial Dao Fruit, leaving the disciples utterly absorbed.
Shadows beyond the realm, the undercurrent remained.
Yet even as the Academy flourished, those Formless Heavenly Demons frightened away by Wanhua had not truly left the Primordial Era.
Within the Twisted Void where the Primordial Era met Endless Chaos, that blurry mass of Demonic Mist gathered once more.
However, it was clearly much smaller, its aura weak and unstable, while the two scarlet points of light were filled with venomous resentment and lingering fear.
"What a Wanhua! What a Primordial Chaos Sage!" The hoarse voice was filled with unwillingness. "He actually wounded my origin... This grudge must be avenged!"
"Take revenge on a Primordial Chaos Sage? With our current strength?" The sharp voice dripped with mockery. "If we had not fled quickly, you and I would have long become another annotation in that book!"
"A direct clash will naturally not work..." the hoarse voice said coldly. "But the waters of the Primordial Era have already been muddied.
The Dragon Race has fallen, the Phoenix Race and Qilin Race are watching from the sidelines, and the demon race's intentions are difficult to discern...
As for Myriad Dao Academy, its 'Order' and 'Dao principles' are both the most delicious food for us and our greatest obstacle... Perhaps we should change our approach."
"You mean..."
"Find allies, or... create chaos. Within the Primordial Era, there are certainly more than a few who fear Wanhua.
There are also many who resent Education for All. Besides... now that the Chasm of Guixu has been disturbed by those Dragon Race fools and the Annihilation Undercurrent is surging, this is our opportunity!
Lurk, wait, seek out the cracks in their hearts, and sow seeds of despair... One day, this Primordial Era shall become our paradise!"
The Demonic Mist slowly sank once more into the depths of the Twisted Void, like a venomous serpent lying in wait for its next chance to strike.
Firewood of Inheritance passes on, the road ahead shines bright.
Before the Hall of Understanding Principles at Myriad Dao Academy.
Xuanjizi and the Core Disciples stood on high ground, watching their fellow disciples below in the square—some cultivating diligently, some fiercely debating the Dao, and some practicing Unity of Knowledge and Action in the Trial Zone.
As they watched the increasingly vast Aura of Literary Splendor soaring into the heavens, their hearts were filled with emotion.
"Only after enduring hardship does one know how difficult the Great Dao is, and also that our path is not a lonely one."
Xuanjizi said slowly, "The trouble from the Dragon Palace has temporarily subsided, yet the Outer Demonic Thoughts mentioned by our teacher still lurk in the darkness.
There may still be storms ahead, but our Dao Hearts, tempered by this trial, have become unbreakable."
Elder Teng nodded. "Indeed. Upholding righteousness while creating anew, and never ceasing to unite knowledge and action—these are the foundations upon which our Academy stands."
Yun Xi's gaze was firm. "No matter what challenges the future brings, guarding the Academy and practicing Dao principles are duties we cannot shirk."
All the disciples revealed resolute expressions.
They understood clearly that the Sage had cleared away the obstacles before them and paved the road, but the scenery of the future would need to be explored and protected by themselves.
Within Chaos Space, Wanhua sensed the Academy's vibrant vitality and the disciples' steadfast Dao Hearts. His gaze pierced through endless void, as though he saw a far more distant future.
The Firewood of Inheritance had been lit, and its light was gradually growing brighter. This newly born flame of the Literary Dao, having endured the cleansing of wind and rain, had not only refused to go out but instead grew ever more vigorous and prosperous.
It no longer illuminated merely one corner of the East Sea. Its radiance had already begun to shine upon the broader Primordial Era, while its ideals quietly changed the balance of this ancient world with the disciples' footsteps.
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