Chapter 104 - 71: The Profound-Demonic Tribulation: Who is the Dao?

Chapter 104: Chapter 71: The Profound-Demonic Tribulation: Who is the Dao?

A sinister wind howled. Mountains shattered.

The demonic claw that reached down from beyond the heavens was thousands of miles wide, blotting out the sky and sun. The lines upon its surface, like mountain ravines, twisted and contorted into demonic talismans that bewildered the eyes and spirit.

Xu Zhuang steadied his mind and opened his Dharma Eyes. He saw the demonic claw’s nine fingers spread wide. In the center of its palm, a bloody mouth gaped open, and a pitch-black tongue lolled out, its tip slightly curled.

The sinister wind swept up countless Spirit Veins. The precious light from them ascended into the sky, converging into a mass that grew ever larger, as if a new star was being born. Once it reached a certain size, it began to fly toward the bloody mouth in the palm of the nine-fingered claw.

’So that’s it.’

It all made sense to Xu Zhuang now. ’In the Profound Yellow Realm, the orthodox sects have always flourished. The Shen Zhou Land, in particular, is completely controlled by the three sects and six schools. A major Demon Sect like the Yinji Sect can only hide away in the void, their cultivation grounds a mystery.’

’The great orthodox sects occupy the Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands, where they harmonize the terrestrial qi and nurture Spirit Veins. As heaven and humanity prosper together, their fortune and power grow ever stronger, their Daoist traditions passed down for millennia without decline. The Demon Sects, however, only consume without replenishing, making it increasingly difficult to pass down their legacies.’

’The Yinji Sect had schemed against the Dharma Source Mountain Gate to secure a foundation for ten thousand generations. Now that their efforts were on the brink of failure, they decided to simply tear the Grotto Heaven apart, draining the pond to catch all the fish by plundering every last Spirit Vein and treasure...’

’The only thing I don’t understand is, how can a Demon Sect Primordial Spirit be so brazen? Do the orthodox Zhenrens really have no way to deal with this?’

Just as Xu Zhuang was lost in thought, a sinister gust of wind swept past. A brilliant, cloud-like garment instantly materialized around him, but it couldn’t hold back the force. A layer of its purple light was immediately stripped away, and his feet left the ground as he was swept into the air.

Xu Zhuang’s expression shifted. The power from his core surged, endlessly regenerating the light-formed garment, but he still couldn’t escape the sinister wind’s grasp. Only after using the Qi Zhen Gang Yuan Spell did he finally stabilize himself. He then struggled with all his might to break free, making a difficult escape.

’No matter what, I can’t stay here any longer.’ Xu Zhuang made up his mind. He took out his golden sword, but just as he was about to activate it, the bloody mouth in the palm of the sky-blotting demonic claw let out an earth-shattering shriek.

Xu Zhuang staggered violently as demonic chaos erupted in his mind, and his Magical Power threatened to run rampant. Fortunately, his Ming Venerable’s Image Pendant stirred at that moment, releasing a stream of pure energy that instantly suppressed the demonic thoughts. This allowed Xu Zhuang to steady his mind and summon his Heart Sword.

After cutting down the demonic thoughts, Xu Zhuang didn’t dare to delay. He snapped his eyes open to a horrifying sight: a torrential rain of blood was falling from the sky. Where it struck the earth, it instantly corroded countless pits thousands of feet deep.

Only then did Xu Zhuang realize that at some unknown point, a thin layer of white light had rippled into existence around him, protecting him from perishing in the bloody rain.

’What is this?’ Xu Zhuang felt the gentle, abundant Tai Su Magical Power surrounding him, and his heart immediately calmed. He looked up at the sky and beheld another shocking sight. The giant, nine-fingered claw had been severed cleanly at the forearm. The entire limb, hand and all, was plummeting from the sky like a meteorite, spewing demonic blood that became the foul, bloody rain falling everywhere.

The demon’s claw had been severed by some unknown force. It howled in agony as it withdrew its arm, revealing the sky beyond. But behind it was no longer the deep void, but a vast expanse of white qi. The white qi surged in, swept up the star-like mass of Spirit Veins the demon had gathered, and then flew back out into the cosmos.

Xu Zhuang’s expression flickered as he felt a gentle pull from the white light around him. With a mere nudge of his will, the light enveloped him, transforming him into a brilliant streak that shot straight into the rift in the sky. Following the white qi that carried the Spirit Veins, he arrived in the outer void.

The four directions, above, and below: this is the ’Yu.’ All that has been and all that will be: this is the ’Zhou.’

According to the Daoist Scriptures, the universe was the totality of everything—time, space, and all worldly things. But colloquially, the term was also used to describe the void outside the Great Thousand Worlds.

Traveling beyond the heavens and roaming the Star River was, for cultivators below the Primordial Spirit realm, something that existed only in the imagination. Even for Xu Zhuang, who possessed innate knowledge from a past life, he had never witnessed the true face of the cosmic void with his own eyes.

It was deathly silent. There was no air, no spiritual energy, no sound. It stretched on, vast and limitless. For what seemed like millions of miles in every direction, there was not a single trace of life—only an infinite number of Hanging Stone Star Ores, still too small to be called stars.

And yet, it was vibrantly alive. In the distant depths, countless motes of light twinkled. A brilliant Star River stretched across the void, its beauty beyond words.

Enveloped in the white light, Xu Zhuang had arrived in the cosmos. He was still trying to take in the dazzling, wondrous sights when a sudden wail echoed through the supposedly silent expanse.

Xu Zhuang’s vision went dark. A pitch-black hurricane, darker even than the depths of space, blotted out everything. Wherever it passed, all the Hanging Stone Star Ores—whether as small as boulders or as large as continents—were ground into fine dust that mixed with the black wind as it swept forward.

Even though he was enveloped by the white light and fleeing at incredible speed, Xu Zhuang was visibly shaken. ’So this is a Primordial Spirit Taoist Skill,’ he thought. ’It truly has the power to destroy heaven and earth.’

The black wind surged toward him, growing fiercer and sweeping across the cosmos in an instant. Just as it was about to hit, Xu Zhuang’s heart tightened. ’Will this white light be enough to protect me?’ He was just about to use the talisman left to him by the Mixed Element Child when he suddenly heard a sound. ZHEEENG! It was the clear cry of a sword.

Xu Zhuang looked back, but his eyes saw no flash of a blade, no trace of Sword Qi. The boundless black wind had simply been "sliced" in two. A line of absolute nothingness stretched to infinity, and within it, all matter reverted to formlessness. Shape and substance dissolved into chaos, a primordial state as if before the clear and the turbid had separated, before heaven and earth were parted!

’This is...’

’Is this the Tai Su Sword Qi of Form and Formlessness? Could this really *be* the Tai Su Sword Qi of Form and Formlessness?’

Xu Zhuang stared blankly, unwilling to look away. His entire understanding of the Tai Su Taoist Technique had been turned completely upside down. The white light, however, did not stop. Its speed increased again, and it suddenly seemed to enter an inexplicable state where all external light was distorted into a muddle of colors. By the time Xu Zhuang snapped out of it, he realized he had already followed the white qi—and the Spirit Veins from the Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven—across the vast, endless void.