Lin Yue could tell that the old man was also an invincible expert, likely sent back to recuperate after suffering grievous wounds. He would not make things difficult for someone like that. The man had fought to the death for the Nine Heavens. He was a hero!
After speaking, Lin Yue tossed over the primordial spirit in his hand and sent a small cauldron along with it. The divine liquid inside brimmed with boundless vitality!
"Thank you, Lord Lin Yue!" Mu Ge looked at the divine liquid in his hands, a brilliant gleam spilling from his lifeless eyes. He could sense its effects. This was a supreme sacred liquid for healing!
Though Mu Feng was left with only his primordial spirit, that did nothing to lessen his shock! He had never expected to kick straight into an invincible expert.
Lin Yue said, "He has good potential. He entered the Void Dao Realm at such a young age, so his future achievements should be considerable! Don't spoil him into uselessness!"
"Yes!"
Lin Yue asked, "May we enter the realm now?"
"Hehe! Please, my lords!" The guards respectfully ushered the three of them into the realm!
Once they had left, Mu Feng looked at his ancestor and asked, "Ancestor, is that lord very powerful?"
Mu Ge said, "He has killed an invincible expert! In the future, he is certain to become an Immortal Dao figure of the Nine Heavens, little Feng!"
Mu Feng said, "Ancestor!"
"Go into seclusion when we return!"
"Yes!"
Chapter 28: The Heavenly Horned Ant Clan
The three stepped into the great realm of Boundless Heaven and immediately felt the difference. Its rich vitality seemed to make every cell in their bodies stir and rejoice.
Lin Yue asked, "Which way is your ancestral home?"
"Just follow us!"
Yu could now feel the call within her bloodline. It pointed toward the strongest member of their clan, guiding her so she would not wander blindly!
Yet she was also terribly worried. The fluctuations she sensed through her bloodline were extremely faint. Clearly, her elderly father was nearly dead, his primordial spirit weakened to its utmost limit!
Lin Yue shook his head with a smile and followed closely behind them!
Who knew how long had passed? Even at their speed, the journey felt exceedingly long! Only after crossing more than half the Ancient World did they reach a hidden domain! Gray mist shrouded the entire stretch of land. Even Lin Yue's divine sense could not penetrate it. Clearly, an Immortal Dao figure had laid down a formation, concealing the place like a barrier!
Though this was already the final years of Immortal Ancient, this hidden domain clearly had not yet changed. It was still an ancient site, not the pond it would later become. Thinking about it, that made sense. Who would build their cave abode beneath a pond? Time must have passed, the formation shattered, and the place gradually been buried!
"This is it!" Yan said!
"It's hidden by this formation!"
Then Yan took out a single horn, a horn from a Heavenly Horned Ant ancestor of generations past, refined into something like a key to the formation!
The barrier slowly parted, and the three darted inside!
A residence appeared before them, guarded by several old men. Suddenly discovering that the barrier had opened, they assumed a powerful enemy had come. After all, the old Heavenly Horned Ant was wounded, his fate uncertain. How could they allow anyone to disturb him?
"Who dares trespass here! You're disturbing an immortal! Leave at once!"
The three were greeted by a stern rebuke the instant they arrived!
"Elders, it's me!"
"Yan, and Yu too! Heavens! Am I seeing things? You're still alive!"
Tears filled Yan's and Yu's eyes as well. Ever since stepping onto the battlefield, they had thought they would never return alive. They had never expected to see their family again!
"Good! Good! Good! Heaven has eyes! Heaven has eyes! Hurry, go inside and see the old master! He's in terrible condition!"
The old men were overwhelmed with excitement!
"Hurry, Lin Yue! Don't just stand there!" Yu said!
Only then did the old men notice the young human with them!
None of them paid it much mind, however. Anyone who could befriend the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan had to be trustworthy!
After entering the cave abode and walking into its depths, the three saw a man!
A man sat in the seat of honor with his eyes closed, resting his spirit. Apart from the traces of age upon him, nothing suggested that he was an ancient expert!
Golden hair, translucent and lustrous, spilled over his shoulders. He looked extraordinarily majestic. Yet blood dripped from between his brows, and his entire body seemed on the verge of falling apart! The aura naturally emanating from him had formed a domain that kept others from approaching. Clearly, his wounds were far too severe. Otherwise, how could anyone see the face of such a supreme figure? Immortal energy should have veiled it in a blur of chaos!
Though his aura was powerful, it came from his flesh, which had attained divinity. His primordial spirit, however, had almost weakened to its utmost limit. Even someone at Lin Yue's realm could sense it.
The man had not noticed anyone entering. He lay in a deep slumber. To save his youngest son, he would occasionally awaken and nourish him with divine essence, but he could never sustain it for long. Most of the time, he remained dazed and insensible.
Nearby rested a golden cocoon. Clearly, it held the unborn Little Heaven-Horned Ant!
"Father!" Yan called softly, tears filling his eyes!
Yu covered her mouth with her delicate hand, unable to believe it. In her memory, her father had been invincible throughout heaven and earth. Yet someone had injured him this badly!
Just as the two were about to rush forward, Lin Yue caught them. The old Heavenly Horned Ant's consciousness was clouded, and his domain bore down upon everything around him. Had their bodies not been so outrageously strong, the three would likely have been crushed already! Hadn't they noticed that even the old men from earlier dared not approach casually? Charging forward so rashly would provoke the domain. Since they had not yet entered the Immortal Dao, they would likely die!
"Lin Yue!"
The two turned to look at him, their voices trembling and their eyes filled with expectation. They hoped he could bring them hope again, just as he had before!
"Do you still have any soul-nourishing lotus?"
"Yes!"
The two brought out almost all their spirit medicines, hoping they would help!
"Step back first!"
Then Lin Yue reached out to the martial dao divine infant within his grotto-heaven. The little golden Lin Yue rose to his feet, and the wheel of yin and yang flew out from above his head!
"Go!"
At Lin Yue's command, the wheel of yin and yang flew above the man's head. As the wheel slowly revolved, yin and yang energies flowed out, pouring boundless vitality into his body!
The soul-nourishing lotus, Lin Yue's Tribulation Lightning Liquid, and the essences of countless divine medicines were slowly channeled into the man's body, sinking into his primordial spirit to nourish it!
Lin Yue did everything he could to save this old Heavenly Horned Ant, who had died fighting for the Nine Heavens in the original story. After all, one person's strength was ultimately limited if they wanted victory. If possible, he would save as many of these people as he could!
The three sat around the man, nourishing the wheel of yin and yang with their divine essence, hoping to make even the slightest difference!
No one knew how much time passed. Occasionally, the old men outside came in to check on them. What they saw left them astonished and elated. The space between their old master's brows no longer bled, and his aura began to withdraw, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously. That meant his consciousness was returning. He was awakening!
They had never expected the young man their two young masters brought back to possess such heaven-defying abilities. That yin-yang wheel of his, in particular, would likely make even kings covet it!
A long time passed. First, Yan and Yu exhausted their divine essence and collapsed. Then, after another lengthy stretch, even Lin Yue's martial dao divine infant began to weaken! Its divine essence had run dry!
After Lin Yue collapsed, another unknown span of time passed!
When Lin Yue opened his eyes, seven or eight pairs of eyes were staring at him!
"You're awake, young man!" the old men said, filled with excitement!
"Ah! Lin Yue!"
Yu was the first to rush over, throwing her arms around him!
"You're finally awake, Lin Yue! Everyone was worried!" Yan said as well, his voice filled with gratitude!
Though their elderly father had not fully recovered, his life had finally been saved!
"Young man, you're finally awake!" A voice rang out as though emerging from the Great Dao itself!
"Father!"
"Father!"
"Old master!"
The old Heavenly Horned Ant slowly opened his eyes. He could now control his consciousness and awaken whenever he wished. However, he still needed a long time to recover!
After all, his Dao wounds were terribly severe. Fortunately, aid had arrived in time, stabilizing his primordial spirit. In the original story, he had saved the Little Heaven-Horned Ant by trading his own life while on the verge of death, even enduring until the next era!
His race had reached the utmost extreme of strength, after all. A Heavenly Horned Ant's mighty flesh and terrifying vitality were absolutely dependable!
"Senior, you're awake!"
"Yes! Thank you so much! I thought the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan had almost become a thing of the past. I never expected two of my children to survive and grow strong! I truly cannot thank you enough!"
Lin Yue said, "Compared with everything you've done for the Nine Heavens, this little effort of mine is nothing!"
"No, this is a father's gratitude! I blame myself for failing to protect my wife. If they had died too, I would truly have had no face to meet her! Now that they're alive, at least my heart has some comfort! And with your Tribulation Lightning Liquid, my youngest son's life has been saved as well! Though he will need a long time to be nourished, at least he's alive!"
Lin Yue said, "There's no need for more thanks. I'm doing this for the Nine Heavens too! I hope to preserve more of our fighting strength!"
"The Nine Heavens are about to fall!"
They all fell silent!
"Most terrifying of all are the darkness and the eerie corruption. We have investigated for a long time, yet even now, we still don't know where they originate or what their purpose is! All we know is that once the eerie corruption takes hold of someone, they become a dark creature, as though they have turned into an entirely different person. Their temperament changes drastically. They no longer recognize their family or friends, and even turn their blades against us! Many of our fellow Daoists have been harmed by those they trusted most!"
The old Heavenly Horned Ant sighed. Faced with invasions from the Foreign Realm and the eerie corruption, the Nine Heavens had no way to respond. The dark, eerie corruption was especially dangerous, even more so than the Foreign Realm. It was like a sacrificial rite, dragging the people of the Nine Heavens onto an altar, devouring their true spirits and occupying their primordial spirits with darkness!
"Senior, the eerie corruption is actually...!"
"Do not speak rashly!"
The instant Lin Yue began to speak, the old Heavenly Horned Ant, shocked that he knew the truth, immediately stopped him. He did not want Lin Yue casually revealing the cause behind it, for fear that some great terror would descend!
Lin Yue was frightened in hindsight as well. He had nearly said it. In that instant, dread had gripped his heart and made his hair stand on end! It felt as though a supreme being might descend at any moment!
"We have investigated for a long time. Though we don't know the truth, we have our suspicions. This likely involves terrifying, heaven-defying beings. If you know the truth, don't speak carelessly before you have the strength to quell this dark calamity. Revealing the truth will draw their attention, and they will snuff you out in your cradle!"
Everyone's heart trembled. Did such terrifying, heaven-defying beings truly exist? Even kings could sense it when someone spoke their true names, but they could not tell exactly who was calling them. They needed to divine it to obtain an answer. If the other person was an Immortal Dao figure, even that would be difficult, because the Great Dao of heaven and earth would conceal the heavenly secrets for them!
Given what the old Heavenly Horned Ant had said, could the beings involved have already surpassed the King Realm?
Chapter 29: Tempering
Lin Yue said, "Senior, don't be so pessimistic. Even if supreme beings are involved, we won't necessarily sink into ruin. I believe a day will come when we sweep away the darkness and welcome the light!"
"That's right, Father! Lin Yue is very strong!"
Yu spoke from beside him, filled with confidence in Lin Yue. He had saved her from despair before, and she trusted him deeply!
"Though it is disheartening, the Foreign Realm is truly far too powerful. Above all, they have many kings. I suffered such grave wounds because they surrounded me and tried to kill me. Fellow Daoist True Dragon, Fellow Daoist True Phoenix, Qilin, and the others met the same fate! Earlier, while my mind was clouded, I even glimpsed a thread of the future. The Nine Heavens will collapse, and even their Dao laws will become incomplete!"
The old Heavenly Horned Ant sighed. As a supreme figure who had faced the Foreign Realm's supreme kings, he felt that the Nine Heavens would still struggle to contend with them!
Lin Yue said, "That is only something that might happen in the future. As long as it hasn't happened, there is still hope! Besides, the so-called future is only a future. Not every second of the future can fall within your sight!"
"You're right, Lin Yue. You are very special. Perhaps you really can create a miracle! Besides, you came here to break through your shackles and create a miracle, didn't you?"
The old Heavenly Horned Ant could see at a glance how different this young man was. At such a young age, he had already touched the extreme dao domain. He truly was special! Moreover, the old ant could not tell what ancient seed he had fused with. He even seemed a little like their Heavenly Horned Ant Clan, following the path of the flesh!
Speaking of which, this young man's body was outrageously powerful! It was stronger than those of his two children! How wonderful it would be if he were his own child!
"That's right. Senior, do you have a good method?" Lin Yue asked!
"I do, but have you made up your mind? The five-hundred-year supreme shackles are no joke!"
"That's right, Lin Yue! It's better not to act rashly. Taking things slowly is safer. You will certainly become an Immortal Dao king in the future! There's no need to rush!" Yan said, once again urging Lin Yue not to take the risk!
"I don't know where these so-called supreme shackles came from! Nor do I know how they arose or who decreed them! To me, they're nothing but absurd nonsense. These so-called supreme shackles and this curse probably exist simply because no one has ever succeeded! Or rather, because no one has broken through the ultimate limit. Just because no one has succeeded, should we use it as a measure for every era and every living being?"
"Well...!"
Even the old Heavenly Horned Ant and the other knowledgeable elders fell silent, lost in thought.
"These so-called shackles are merely the standard the Great Dao uses to bind all living beings! It assumes that an ordinary being needs that much time to temper themselves to perfection before stepping into another realm, which is why it is difficult to break! But there will always be people who keep breaking that record. I suspect that once, one might have needed a thousand years to break through. Only after supreme talents broke it step by step did today's so-called five-hundred-year curse come to exist."
"Hahaha...! What a remarkable argument! Perhaps the problem lies with us. Perhaps history has merely shackled our understanding. Lin Yue, you will surely succeed. Come with me!"
The more the old Heavenly Horned Ant looked at this spirited young man, the more he liked him. Like their clan, he loved challenging the limits!
They walked deeper inside, as though stepping into a hidden domain. A giant cauldron appeared within a great formation on the mountain ahead!
Clouds and mist curled around the giant cauldron, making it flicker in and out of sight. It faintly influenced the void, constantly radiating a force that warped space!
The Primordial Mother Cauldron! The Heavenly Horned Ant Clan's weapon, also hailed as the heaviest weapon in the world. Only the Heavenly Horned Ant Clan could swing it.
"This is our weapon. It can be used for battle, and it can refine artifacts. Of course, it can also refine people!"
"Refine people! I understand! Senior, you want to put me inside and temper me?"
Lin Yue was not surprised. Martial arts tempered the person. This was merely a different method!
Before you continue