The Heavenly Dao Is Not Eternal!

Forcibly swallowing the snark that had reached his lips, He Dongsheng's reply did resolve one of Lu Yan's doubts.

The Storage Bag he had obtained from Steward Chu was undoubtedly connected to the Red Lotus Demonic Sect. This made Lu Yan even more certain that he could not casually expose it.

After searching for a while, He Dongsheng found a dust-covered book among the piles. Several large characters were written on its cover: "Biography of a Demonic Sect's Enchantress."

"Cough, cough, cough! Although the origins of this book are somewhat improper and its content is a little slanted, it was indeed written by a genuine disciple of the Joyous Union Sect.

"Setting aside the vast amount of dual-cultivation content, its descriptions of the origins of the various Devil Dao Sects and the spells they excelled in were exceptionally clear. Fellow Daoist Lu, you can consult it if you are interested.

"However, this book was written a long time ago, so some of the information in it may be inaccurate. Fellow Daoist Lu, you should also be careful to sift through it."

Lu Yan accepted the book and casually flipped through it, only to discover that it was actually a cultivation-world erotica novel.

Although its focus was somewhat askew, it was still a satisfactory result in the end.

After bidding farewell to He Dongsheng, Lu Yan immediately went to a Spirit Talisman shop.

There had been more than a hundred Spirit Stones in the Storage Bag before, but as Lu Yan began cultivating and consumed resources in the Apocalypse Version, then purchased the "First Order Spell Compendium" after returning to the Xianxia Version, almost none of his Spirit Stones remained.

He still had to rent a Cave Residence, so Lu Yan planned to sell most of the Spirit Talismans in his possession in exchange for Spirit Stones.

A short while later, Lu Yan exchanged dozens of First Grade Lower-Rank Spirit Talismans, five First Grade Mid-Rank ones, and one First Grade Upper-Rank one for ninety Spirit Stones. He kept only a few Spirit Talismans for daily use, along with the Rankless Spirit Talismans that could not fetch a good price.

For Lu Yan, offensive methods mainly relied on the Hundred Soul Banner. Spirit Talismans had merely been a supplementary means back when he had no spells. Now that he possessed the "First Order Spell Compendium," he no longer needed them.

As for the Mid-Grade Magic Item flying sword, Lu Yan was willing to sell it, but he worried that it might bear the mark of the Red Lotus Demonic Sect. Thus, he did not rush to deal with it and decided to make plans later.

After passing through the marketplace streets, he arrived at the Cave Residence rental office, where a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe was lazily draped over a table.

"Excuse me, how are Cave Residences rented?"

The middle-aged man raised his head and sized up Lu Yan.

"A lower-grade Cave Residence costs one Spirit Stone a month, a mid-grade Cave Residence costs two Spirit Stones a month, and upper-grade Cave Residences are not rented to outsiders. You need to join the marketplace with a cultivation level above the Late Stage Qi Refining to qualify for one."

"I'll rent a mid-grade Cave Residence for three months."

Lu Yan took out six Spirit Stones and handed them to the middle-aged man.

"A Third Layer Qi Refining cultivator renting a mid-grade Cave Residence? That's rather unusual.

"Here's a word of advice: Before advancing to the Mid-Stage Qi Refinement, try to leave your Cave Residence as little as possible, and don't leave the marketplace either."

He handed Lu Yan a palm-sized Array Disk, then waved his hand, signaling for Lu Yan to leave.

Lu Yan glanced at the middle-aged man in surprise. The cultivator did not look particularly amiable, but his warning had been genuinely well-intentioned.

Renting a mid-grade Cave Residence at the early Qi Refining Stage was indeed too conspicuous. It would easily draw people's attention.

However, Lu Yan would only remain in the Xianxia Version for three months, so he did not need to worry too much.

After thanking the middle-aged man, Lu Yan followed the Array Disk's guidance toward his Cave Residence.

The Cave Residences had been carved into the mountainside. The closer they were to the valley, the denser the spiritual energy became.

After finding his Cave Residence, Lu Yan circulated his magical power through the Array Disk. An array appeared before the entrance, transforming into a restriction that blocked outsiders from entering.

Simple rooms had been carved out inside the Cave Residence. The mid-grade Cave Residence even had a Spirit Beast Room and an Alchemy Room. The spiritual energy inside was actually denser than that of the Apocalypse Version, making it well worth the price.

After settling down in the Cave Residence, Lu Yan immediately took out the three books he had purchased that day.

He set the "First Order Spell Compendium" aside for the moment and first picked up the "Biography of a Demonic Sect's Enchantress" to read.

Ignoring the vast number of dual-cultivation scenes and several specialized terms concerning the harmonization of yin and yang, Lu Yan roughly understood that the book was simply a novel about an enchantress from the Joyous Union Sect subduing demonic sect prodigies and aloof male idols of the righteous path.

Its boldness and variety of bedroom games put even the First Edition Lord to shame.

However, just as He Dongsheng had said, the book indeed described quite a bit of information about the various Devil Dao Sects, and the Red Lotus Demonic Sect was prominently listed among them.

According to the book, the Red Lotus Demonic Sect had suddenly risen after the Righteous-Demonic War. Its founder was a mighty figure of the Devil Dao known as the Red Lotus Demon Lord.

Normally, after founding a sect, every major sect would first promote the purity of its own lineage. Some sects could even trace their origins directly back to ancient times.

But the Red Lotus Demonic Sect kept the origins of its lineage shrouded in mystery. Even the author of the "Biography of a Demonic Sect's Enchantress" did not know.

"Considering that the Red Lotus Demonic Sect rose after the Righteous-Demonic War, the Moral Sect had already been massacred by the Devil Dao Sects by then.

"And the Red Lotus Karma Fire, the signature spell of the 'Red Lotus Karma Fire Sutra,' can refine merit and cultivate the Profound Yellow Merit Fire divine ability.

"Could this mean that the inheritance of the Red Lotus Demonic Sect very likely came from the Moral Sect?

"When the various Devil Dao Sects surrounded and attacked the Moral Sect, did that Red Lotus Demon Lord secretly seize its cultivation techniques, thereby creating the Red Lotus Demonic Sect that exists today?"

Once this thought emerged, Lu Yan's mind instantly became clear.

Although it was only a guess, Lu Yan's instincts told him that this might be the truth behind the "Red Lotus Karma Fire Sutra."

"Looks like I may not need to search for the subsequent cultivation techniques of the 'Red Lotus Karma Fire Sutra' in the Red Lotus Demonic Sect."

Lu Yan pondered silently. He put down the "Biography of a Demonic Sect's Enchantress" and prepared to pick up the "First Order Spell Compendium" to comprehend the spells within.

But halfway through raising his hand, Lu Yan shifted his attention to the "Heavenly Dao Treatise."

"Comprehending spells can wait. In any case, I got this for free. I might as well see what this so-called 'Heavenly Dao Treatise' is all about."

He opened the book, and the first sentence that entered Lu Yan's eyes was:

The Heavenly Dao Is Not Eternal!

Lu Yan's gaze immediately sharpened.

All cultivators in this world believed that the Heavenly Dao was eternal, meaning that it remained unchanged forever. In the eyes of ordinary cultivators, these words were utterly rebellious and heretical.

But in Lu Yan's eyes, after experiencing several Version Updates, they revealed an entirely different meaning.

"Interesting."

With a smile on his face, Lu Yan began reading this forged ancient text.

Yet as he gradually read on, the smile vanished from his face.

Throughout the entire "Heavenly Dao Treatise," the author used his own views to explain that the Heavenly Dao was not eternal. It was changing and replacing itself in a manner difficult to detect.

But standing beneath the Heavenly Dao, no one could perceive these changes, much less defy the Heavenly Dao. They could only submit to its development.

Even immortals who had ascended to the Immortal Realm were merely pursuing greater compatibility with the Heavenly Dao. Yet that was a fallacy.

The more one conformed to the Heavenly Dao, the less one could break free from the Heaven Dao Shackles and perceive the essence of the Heavenly Dao's impermanence.

At the end of the book, the author presented a conjecture with a tone of regret.

All things in the world passively accepted the changes of the Heavenly Dao. If an Unchanging One could escape the Heaven Dao Shackles, perhaps they could influence the replacement of the Heavenly Dao—Replacing Heaven with Humanity!

In an instant, Lu Yan felt as though he had been struck by lightning. A mad thought flashed incessantly through his mind.

"Version Change Value!"