Senior, Taiyi's True Disciple
Li Yunjing frowned, parrying Yan Xuanfeng's fierce attacks while simultaneously sending out several sword beams to support Huangfu Chenyin and Tie Shan from afar.
However, with his attention divided, the sword light's power was greatly reduced, only slightly forcing the demon general back, unable to resolve the fundamental crisis.
The situation in the valley is deteriorating little by little.
Huangfu Chenyin's whip technique became increasingly chaotic, and he sustained several wounds, his aura weakening.
Tie Shan was in a terrible state, covered in blood, barely holding on with the help of his Xuantie shield, and could die at any moment.
"Hahaha!" Yan Xuanfeng laughed heartily, "Li Yunjing, so what if you're strong? You're only thinking of the beginning and not the end! Today, all three of you will die here! Once I seize the Origin Dao Physique, His Majesty the Demon Emperor will reward you handsomely!"
Li Yunjing's face was ashen.
He's already considering burning the source.
Even if it means a decline in cultivation, they must protect Huangfu Chenyin and Tie Shan and break through to at least send the message back to the Immortal Alliance.
The Origin Dao Physique must never fall into the hands of the demonic path.
But even if he were to burn his own essence, he might not be able to escape unscathed with the two wounded.
At this critical moment, when life and death hung by a thread, a calm, aged, yet incredibly clear voice came from the direction of the main peak.
"Noisy."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a clear spring, instantly suppressing the demonic energy and sounds of battle that filled the valley.
Everyone was stunned.
Yan Xuanfeng's laughter stopped abruptly, and he subconsciously looked up.
On the mountain path, an old man in a gray robe was walking slowly.
The old man had white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and wore a faded old Daoist robe and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes.
He walked very slowly, step by step, as if taking a leisurely stroll.
They were still a hundred feet away, but in the blink of an eye, they were already standing above the valley.
He just floated there quietly, without the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi around him, as ordinary as a schoolteacher in the mortal world.
Strangely, all the demonic energy, sword light, and saber energy within three zhang around him vanished without a trace.
It's like ice and snow meeting the warm sun; not a trace is left behind.
Yan Xuanfeng's sinister smile froze completely.
He looked at the old man, his eyes filled with uncontrollable terror, as if he had seen something more terrifying than death.
"Who... who are you?!" His voice trembled, and his hand gripping the demonic sword shook.
The old man didn't look at him.
His gaze first fell on Li Yunjing, and he nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his cloudy eyes.
Then, he slowly turned his head to look at Yan Xuanfeng and the others.
His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"Those who trespass on the Taiyi Immortal Sect, stay here."
The old man raised his right hand and waved it gently, as if an ordinary person were brushing dust off a table.
The next second, the terror on Yan Xuanfeng's face froze forever.
His fingertips began to turn into fine dust, then his palms, arms, torso...
His entire being, along with the demonic blade in his hand and the remaining five demonic generals, silently disintegrated and dissipated bit by bit.
Six Devil Cultivator Dao Union Perfection were annihilated just like that.
Not even a trace of his soul remained.
The valley fell completely silent.
The rustling of the wind through the forest and the sound of the distant waterfall were clearly audible.
Huangfu Chenyin remained frozen in place, still holding the whip, forgetting to retract his hand.
Tie Shan knelt on the ground, clutching his chest wound, his eyes wide open, forgetting even to cry out in pain.
Li Yunjing also held his breath, his heart churning with turmoil.
Dao Union Perfection, one can vanish with a wave of the hand.
What level of cultivation is this?
Void Refinement? Tribulation Transcendence? Or perhaps... Loose Immortal?
This old man's cultivation level is absolutely unfathomable.
The old man withdrew his hand, as if he had only done something insignificant.
He slowly descended and stood in front of the three people.
Li Yunjing was the first to recover, stepping forward to shield Huangfu Chenyin and Tie Shan behind him. He bowed respectfully, his tone tinged with wariness.
"Junior Li Yunjing of the Luozhen Sect, together with Huangfu Chenyin the Immortal Alliance Law Enforcement Hall Tie Shan of the Black Iron Sect, have disturbed your cultivation, senior."
"Senior Xie. I am deeply grateful. May I ask your esteemed name and why you are here?"
The old man looked at him with gentle eyes.
"I am Zhenyangzi," he spoke slowly, his voice aged yet clear, "The True Disciple disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect twenty thousand years ago."
"Taiyi Immortal Sect!"
All three of them fell silent at the same time.
Huangfu Chenyin exclaimed in shock, "This is impossible! The Taiyi Immortal Sect was destroyed 20,000 years ago! Even those who have reached the Dao Union Perfection have a lifespan of only 7,000 years. How could you possibly be alive now?"
In the cultivation Immortal Realm, lifespan is finite. Even in the lower realms, Bandit Cultivator has a lifespan of only about ten thousand years. To live longer, one must either become Loose Immortal or ascend to immortality.
Zhenyangzi smiled faintly and pointed to his heart, "Ordinary cultivators would not be able to do it. Back then, I was granted by the sect leader to have my soul reside in the Longevity Lamp, while my physical body slept beside the Origin Pool, using the Origin Qi to prolong my life and linger on for 20,000 years."
They say they're alive, but they're practically living dead.
He paused, his gaze falling on Li Yunjing: "You possess the aura of the Supreme Unity Pure Subtlety Scripture and the Sword Intent of the Taiyi Sword Instruction Taiyi Immortal Ceremony, weren't you?"
Li Yunjing's heart skipped a beat, and he bowed, saying, "Indeed, I obtained both of these Cultivation Method from the Inheritance Pavilion, but at the time I was unaware that you were here, senior."
"It's alright." Zhenyangzi nodded slightly. "I wouldn't have appeared if the time hadn't come. Now that the time has come, I've appeared naturally. And it just so happens that I've encountered you, who bears the Taiyi inheritance, and that the Dao Fruit has appeared in the world. It's truly the will of Heaven."
Despite her injuries, Huangfu Chenyin stepped forward with a solemn expression. "Senior Zhenyangzi, to be honest, we have come here for the Origin Dao Physique."
According to the Immortal Alliance's calculations, the Dao body resides within the Supreme Unity Divine Mountain.
Now, the High Antiquity Demon Emperor of the Demonic Path has awakened and is searching everywhere for the whereabouts of his Dao Body.
These Devil Cultivator are just the vanguard today; many more experts will arrive later. We urge you, senior, to entrust your Dao Body to us so we can take it back to the Immortal Alliance and protect it properly.
Zhenyangzi glanced at her and shook her head.
"No."
"Senior?" Huangfu Chenyin was taken aback.
"The Origin Dao Physique has not yet awakened; it is currently only a Dao embryo, residing in the Origin Pool for nurturing." Zhenyangzi's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.
"Once it leaves the Origin Pool, the Dao Embryo will lose its nourishment and its soul will dissipate, rendering all previous efforts futile. It will take at least half a month for the Dao Embryo to solidify and stabilize before it can be moved."
Tie Shan clutched his chest and asked in a muffled voice, "Senior, what exactly is the origin of this Origin Dao Physique? I've heard about it all the way here, and I only know that it's important, but I don't know how it came to be."
Zhenyangzi gazed into the depths of the main peak, his eyes distant.
"A cycle of ten thousand years occurs, the Dao Fruit manifests, and the Dao body is born," he said slowly.
"The Primordial Dao Fruit is the essence of the Dao Realm Origin, and the Origin Dao Physique is the key to the Dao Realm Origin. The Dao Body and the Dao Fruit share the same origin and are mutually generated. The Dao Body can activate the Dao Fruit Dao Fruit and also soothe its backlash."
"In the last battle for Dao Fruit, the Origin Dao Physique perished in the great battle, and the remnant soul dissipated."
My Taiyi Immortal Sect's founder exhausted all his efforts to find the remnant soul of the Dao Embryo, brought it back to the Divine Mountain, and sealed it in the Origin Pool for nurturing.
The sect's mission, passed down through generations, is to protect this nascent Dao embryo and await the next manifestation of the Dao Fruit.
"Twenty thousand years ago, the demonic path discovered a clue and launched a surprise attack on the mountain gate in the dead of night."
The sect leader exhausted the entire sect's strength, activating the self-destruct mode of the Supreme Unity Boundless Array, in order to repel the demonic path and preserve the Dao embryo.
Of the thousands of people in the entire sect, only I remain. I have been ordered to guard this place, awaiting the awakening of the Dao embryo and the destined person to inherit the legacy.