Dao Lineage Legend, Ambush in the Dark

Amidst the clinking of cups and the exchange of toasts, the two men chatted incessantly about everything under the sun.

From Wang Kuohai, Li Qing gained a detailed understanding of the entire Great Tang Dynasty.

The Great Tang Dynasty had ruled the world for nearly three hundred years, spanning fifteen emperors, and had remarkably produced no incompetent rulers.

The current sovereign, Emperor Kuntai, was originally hailed as an enlightened monarch capable of rivaling the founding ancestor of the Great Tang.

Since ascending the throne, he had pacified the four corners of the realm, reorganized land holdings, and mandated that officials and gentry alike pay taxes—achieving what the previous fourteen emperors had failed to do.

However, starting a few years ago, Emperor Kuntai suddenly became obsessed with seeking immortality and the Dao, constantly levying various taxes from all directions and seizing all manner of spiritual materials and precious medicines.

These various exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies began to make the entire Great Tang Dynasty seem rather strange.

Especially with the several natural disasters that had occurred in recent years, an undercurrent had begun to circulate throughout the Great Tang Dynasty.

The two chatted with great enthusiasm, one listening while the other spoke.

Suddenly, Wang Kuohai said, "Mr. Qin, I have a question I would like to boldly ask."

Li Qing looked at Wang Kuohai and smiled slightly, saying, "Ask away."

Wang Kuohai's face held a trace of trepidation, mixed with a hint of curiosity.

He cast his gaze toward the singing girls nearby and said with a calm expression, "You all, withdraw for now!"

"Yes!"

The singers and dancers quickly exited the room, leaving only Wang Kuohai and Li Qing behind.

Wang Kuohai straightened his expression slightly and said cautiously, "I wanted to ask, which school do you hail from? The Daoist Sect, the Buddhist Sect, the Hundred Schools of Thought, or something else?"

Li Qing's heart stirred, but he replied calmly, "Chief Escort, where do you think I hail from?"

Wang Kuohai gave a dry laugh. "I do not know. I have only heard by chance that beneath the surface of this Great Tang Dynasty, there exists another world that we ordinary people cannot touch."

"Legend has it that it is a world known only to the Buddhist Sect, the Daoist Sect, Confucianism, monsters, demons, ghosts, and the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"It is called the world of the Dao Lineage."

"I have only heard that the Dao Lineage has influenced many dynasties from ancient times to the present; they permeate every walk of life, from the imperial court to the pugilistic world."

"Yet, those who have truly seen them are few and far between. They hide among the masses, yet no one knows who they are."

"It is only because some have witnessed miraculous events that such legends of the Dao Lineage have been passed down."

"From ancient myths to the strange tales recorded in unofficial histories, the legends are all connected to the Dao Lineage."

"That day, when you manifested that mysterious Flood Dragon phantom, I knew you must be a member of the Dao Lineage."

"I ask this presumptuously only because I am truly perplexed and wish to seek your guidance, Mr. Qin."

"I want to know what this Dao Lineage is truly like."

"Is the legendary immortality real?"

"They say there are immortals and dragons in this world, but I do not know if it is true or false."

At this moment, Wang Kuohai's face was full of wonder, appearing to yearn deeply for that mysterious world.

Li Qing was lost in thought. The Dao Lineage? Hidden within the human world?

How different this is from the cultivation novels of my past life, where practitioners always seclude themselves to cultivate.

There must be a secret here.

Looking at Wang Kuohai's hopeful gaze, Li Qing gave a slight, bitter smile. "Alas, I will not hide it from you, Brother Wang."

"I have always been in the mountains, cultivating diligently with my master, and only recently came down the mountain due to certain matters."

"I do not actually know much about the Dao Lineage you speak of."

"However, since they walk within this mortal world, I will surely encounter them sooner or later."

"When that time comes, if I gain any insight, I can clear up your confusion."

Upon hearing this, a trace of disappointment flickered in Wang Kuohai's eyes.

However, considering Li Qing's age, he knew the other man had no reason to lie to him.

Wang Kuohai's expression turned slightly bitter. "Alas, I have heard of these things since the days of my ancestors and have always yearned for them, but unfortunately, I have never had the chance to come into contact with the legendary Dao Lineage."

After Wang Kuohai finished hosting Li Qing, the two boarded their respective sedan chairs and headed toward the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.

Li Qing sat in the sedan chair, swaying gently as it moved.

Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling arose in his heart, as if something were watching him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, realizing this was his spiritual sense, perceiving something unknown.

A monster? A person? Or perhaps someone from the Dao Lineage?

A cold glint flickered in his eyes. It seems I must be careful tonight.

A quarter of an hour later, the sedan chair returned to the All-Under-Heaven Escort Agency.

Wang Kuohai and Li Qing entered the agency, chatting and laughing.

Li Qing returned to his small courtyard, closed the door, and walked to his bed.

He rolled up the inner quilt into a coil and covered it with another quilt, creating a decoy.

He himself climbed up the room's pillar to the rafters.

He sat cross-legged on the beams, gripping his Hundred-Forged Steel Blade.

I hope I'm just being paranoid.

Li Qing's gaze turned somber. If someone really is coming, how did they track me down?

He could not fathom the answer; the entire affair was shrouded in a thick fog.

Clang, clang, clang.

"The weather is dry, watch out for fire."

The voice of the night watchman drifted in from outside.

A cold indifference filled Li Qing's eyes as he waited in silence, his essence circulating slowly within his body.

Because he was deliberately controlling it, his essence did not emit any radiance outside his body.

Suddenly, a shadow seemed to appear outside the door.

Li Qing, perched on the rafters, noticed the change outside the door at once.

He fished out the Spirit Summoning Tablet with his left hand and gripped the Hundred-Forged Steel Blade with his right.

The Spirit Summoning Tablet might not be useful, but he had to prepare for both contingencies.

The shadow outside seemed to be observing something; a hole was poked through the paper window of the door.

An eye emitting a faint, bloody light appeared there.

Immediately following, something that shocked Li Qing occurred.

A figure resembling a shadow actually walked slowly in through the door without touching it at all.

This shadow was cloaked in darkness; it appeared humanoid and moved eerily toward the bed.

Zhang Yutai's eyes flickered with a hint of greed.

"I truly didn't expect to encounter such pure essence blood in a place like this."

"If I devour his essence blood, I should be able to reach the peak of Body Strengthening."

"I will be one step closer to Foundation Establishment."

Greed suffused his eyes, and a faint, bloody light began to emanate from the man's hand.

The bloody light swirled like a vortex as he reached toward the raised figure on the bed.

The moment he grabbed the bedsheets, he suddenly felt that something was wrong, for there was no fluctuation of essence ahead.

His scalp tingled. Not good.

A dragon's roar erupted from behind him.

"Moo~"

The instant the sound rang out, Zhang Yutai's mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and his spirit froze for a split second.

A phantom of a Flood Dragon lunged at him from behind, and a terrifying aura of death jolted him awake.

"A soul attack!"

He turned his head in horror, seeing the illusory Flood Dragon pouncing toward him.

Without a moment's hesitation, a Jade Talisman appeared in his hand and he struck it behind him instantly.

A phantom spiritual light emerged, colliding with the pouncing Flood Dragon phantom.

As the spiritual light and the Flood Dragon phantom clashed, they unleashed a ripple of fine energy.

A figure leapt down from the rafters, and a brilliant blade light slashed straight down toward Zhang Yutai below.