Dao of Heaven Departs, Li Zhengyuan's Doubts

The tremendous phenomenon caused by Li Zhengyuan's cultivation drew the attention of the Dao of Heaven.

The phenomenon transformed into the Heavenly Dao Judgment. Endless black clouds pressed down viciously upon a single spot, churning and gathering until, slowly, a black hole emerged. Its boundless pressure left no room for even the slightest resistance.

Beneath the gaze of the Dao of Heaven, Li Zhengyuan slowly raised his head within Five Villages Temple and looked toward the black hole amid the densely packed clouds. His expression remained calm and unhurried, yet ripples stirred within his heart.

He realized that the Dao of Heaven's attention was no coincidence. His path of cultivation might face even greater challenges ahead.

The Dao of Heaven carried an overwhelming majesty, as though warning him not to act rashly.

The feeling was as if he were being scrutinized by a pair of merciless, piercing eyes. Not the smallest detail could escape their sight, and not a single secret could remain hidden.

It was as though he stood completely exposed beneath broad daylight, naked and without the slightest cover, with everything about him laid bare at a glance.

Even the deepest thoughts and intentions in his heart could not be concealed beneath the Dao of Heaven's gaze. He was as transparent as glass, with no privacy whatsoever.

The sensation of being thoroughly seen through and completely understood sent chills down his spine, yet there was nowhere to flee.

An instant seemed as long as an age, as past, present, and future constantly intertwined.

Only after a long while did the Dao of Heaven abandon its scrutiny.

It slowly faded away.

In an instant, it felt as though a lifetime had passed, as if nothing had happened. Fear—Li Zhengyuan's first thought was fear. This was what it meant for thunder and rain alike to be Heaven's grace!

How had those people in novels who casually provoked the Dao of Heaven, cursing, "Dao of Heaven, fuck your mother," managed to survive?

If that sensation had not been branded so deeply into his heart like a memory etched into his bones, he would have suspected it had all been a dream.

But why had the Dao of Heaven retreated? He was someone from a later age—what relationship did he have with Zhen Yuanzi?

Was it because he had transmigrated?

But if he had transmigrated, why had the Dao of Heaven failed to notice?

Or had it noticed, yet chosen not to expose him?

That should not have been possible. Then why? Li Zhengyuan was filled with endless doubts, but no one could explain them to him.

After the majesty of the Dao of Heaven dissipated, the living creatures near Five Villages Temple remained active, as though they had sensed nothing at all.

Li Zhengyuan found that strange. Why had they not reacted?

At that very moment, his divine sense stirred slightly, as though an invisible force burst forth from his mind.

That force rapidly spread outward like an invisible net, enveloping an area roughly ten li beyond the temple.

In an instant, it seized a white deer that had been leisurely grazing.

The white deer continued chewing the fresh grass in its mouth without noticing anything. Then, as though pulled by a mysterious force, its body suddenly shot into the air, and in the blink of an eye, it appeared before the Daoist.

The abrupt change frightened the white deer out of its wits. Instinctively, it wanted to flee on all four hooves, but to its utter horror, its legs seemed to have been struck by an Immobilization Spell. No matter how hard it struggled, it could not move in the slightest.

The white deer's heart was filled with fear and despair. It discovered that it was trapped in place, with nowhere to escape.

At the same time, the white deer clearly sensed the powerful aura emanating from the Daoist before it.

That dense, heavy earth aura was like a towering mountain, crushing it until it could barely breathe.

Under the pressure of that aura, the white deer deeply realized that there was an enormous gap in the levels of life between itself and the other party.

That gap fully awakened its deepest instincts. Facing such a powerful opponent, it could only submit, not daring to harbor even the slightest thought of resistance.

Not only that, when the white deer carefully observed the Daoist, it found that he possessed a unique temperament.

The earth aura surrounding him was not the turbid aura one would normally expect. Instead, it carried a trace of fresh, elegant charm.

Judging from his appearance alone, this Daoist certainly did not seem like a vicious villain who slaughtered lives at every turn. On the contrary, he felt more like a transcendent cultivator with compassion in his heart.

Perhaps it was because of this judgment that, amidst its fear, the white deer gained a little more trust and reliance toward the Daoist.

Li Zhengyuan looked at the white deer with a cheerful smile and said nothing. The white deer saw this and thought, I'm done for, I'm done for. I might lose my life here today. Forget it, I'll risk it. I'll bow to him—perhaps if this young master lets even a little slip through his fingers, it'll be enough to keep me alive.

So it stepped forward properly, its four legs going soft as it knelt before Li Zhengyuan. "This little beast greets the Great Immortal and wishes the Great Immortal success in attaining the Great Dao." Li Zhengyuan saw that it was quite sensible, so he asked, "Did you sense anything unusual just now?"

Hearing this, the little deer replied, "No, no. Great Immortal, your divine power is boundless. This little beast did not sense anything unusual. It was like a gust of wind—whoosh—and you appeared."

"Who asked you about that, idiot?" He found it amusing, but did not make things difficult for it. His eyes opened slightly, and a faint spiritual glow spread around his body. His consciousness gradually extended outward like invisible tentacles, reaching toward the little deer.

At that instant, everything around them seemed to come to a standstill. Only a wondrous connection formed between him and his target.

He concentrated, driving his mana with all his strength as he attempted to pierce the other's mental barrier and enter its deeply hidden memories.

In an instant, scene after scene flashed through his mind. They were the various experiences and fragments of memory the white deer had just gone through.