Chapter 512: The Celestial Dao Is Not the True Celestial Dao, but Merely Self-Proclaimed

‘I have to admit, I underestimated this Celestial Pavilion Leader. To think he could send a clone across the universe to Red Meteor.’

Qi Suian had detected it the very instant the Celestial Pavilion Leader sent his wooden man clone to Red Meteor.

He had originally planned to intervene, but he hadn’t expected the leader to send his clone right into the heart of the battle between Zuo Fan and Xu Ziyang, where it even went so far as to save Zuo Fan from a disastrous blow.

This was a classic case of Zuo Fan’s protagonist halo turning misfortune into fortune. However, this act also exposed the Pure Yang Fire Seed within him.

This ultimately led to the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man setting its sights on Zuo Fan.

‘Don’t let Xu Ziyang get killed just yet. He’s still useful.’ Qi Suian’s gaze fell upon Xu Ziyang, who was taking a one-sided beating.

He’d managed to put up a brave front at first, but now, aside from being incredibly tough to kill, Xu Ziyang had no strength left to resist.

At this rate, Xu Ziyang would be beaten to death in half an hour at most.

‘Let me see… how can I give Xu Ziyang a little power-up? I’m not asking him to kill the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man, but he should at least be able to escape with his life.’

Xu Ziyang’s survival up to this point was solely to serve as strengthening material for Zuo Fan. Later on, he could have the Fire Elemental Flame Demon, Zuo Fan, completely devour his opponent to attain even greater power.

As for what benefit this held for Qi Suian, there was one, of course: the final stage of the protagonist’s halo—the end of the plot and the dissipation of his fortune.

Only then would the process be complete, from birth to death.

Then, he would use Zuo Fan as a springboard—just as he’d used the Singularity Space—to devour this world.

The Singularity Space served to lower the difficulty of the devouring, while Zuo Fan could effectively deceive the world and reduce the intensity of its resistance.

Qi Suian’s philosophy was naturally to make the best use of everything. Therefore, the stronger Zuo Fan became, the more convenient things would be for him.

He was even considering packaging up Mu Can, the top-performing Seven Kills Disciple, as more strengthening material.

‘Oh, there actually is something,’ Qi Suian thought, his mind turning to the Yanghuang Sect’s other Sect’s Spiritual Technique: the *Flame Dragon True Qi*.

This Sect’s Spiritual Technique was somewhat similar to the *Pure Yang Wuji Heart Method* Qi Suian had created; it was also an auxiliary-type Spiritual Technique that functioned like a Cultivation Technique.

It was a companion to the other Sect’s Spiritual Technique, the *Nine Fire True Yang Red Dragon Skill*. However, cultivating even one was difficult, let alone mastering both simultaneously.

Consequently, generations of Sect Leaders and Peak Masters of the Yanghuang Sect had never cultivated the *Flame Dragon True Qi*. This was despite the fact that the Spiritual Technique could not only be used with the *Nine Fire True Yang Red Dragon Skill*, but could also enhance all Spiritual Techniques of the yang and fire attributes.

Yet, to the Sect Leaders and Peak Masters, this was meaningless. After all, their Yanghuang Sect was already the greatest in the world. The *Flame Dragon True Qi* was versatile, but no amount of amplification from it could ever compare to the sheer power of the *Nine Fire True Yang Red Dragon Skill*.

Between power and versatility, they naturally chose power.

Versatility might not serve as a deterrent, but overwhelming power certainly would.

This caused this particular Sect’s Spiritual Technique of the Yanghuang Sect to have a rather low profile.

Fortunately, Qi Suian had it in his collection. Otherwise, it would have likely been lost forever with the destruction of the Yanghuang Sect back when Xu Ziyang became a Flame Demon.

If that had happened, the only way for him to view it would have been to use his own world-level abilities to peer into the past and future, essentially re-reading the script.

‘So, I need to give Xu Ziyang an opportunity—an ‘epiphany’ that’s actually a modification.’

The thought had barely formed when reality slapped him in the face.

An opportunity? What opportunity? If he didn’t turn the tables now, Xu Ziyang was going to be killed.

Therefore, Qi Suian directly activated the underlying code within the Red Dragon Flame Demon and remotely uploaded the modified code for the *Flame Dragon True Qi*.

He installed the upgrade patch for the Red Dragon Flame Demon on the spot.

—————–

A wave of clarity suddenly washed over Xu Ziyang’s mind. The knowledge of the Yanghuang Sect’s other Sect’s Spiritual Technique, the *Flame Dragon True Qi*, surfaced in his consciousness as time in the outside world seemed to slow to a crawl.

He could see the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man’s attack swelling before his eyes, yet it still seemed to be some distance away.

In that instant, he understood. The sheer terror of hovering between life and death had triggered an epiphany, allowing him to instantly master the rudiments of the *Flame Dragon True Qi*.

At the same time, because he had already cultivated the *Nine Fire True Yang Red Dragon Skill* to the level of Perfection, initial mastery was not his limit, but merely the starting point. His comprehension surged, breaking all the way through to the Great Achievement stage before finally stopping.

When the epiphany ended, his power had once again undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering transformation.

The nine Red Dragons behind him completely merged into his body. No longer were they separate entities fighting alongside him; instead, all their power converged within him.

At the same time, his Dragon Transformation became even more pronounced. His lower body had completely transformed into that of a dragon, while his human torso remained, but his head had fully turned into that of a dragon.

The sight was incredibly awkward and bizarre.

This was because his *Flame Dragon True Qi* was only at the Great Achievement stage. Once he cultivated it to Perfection, he would undergo a complete Dragon Transformation. Only then would the name Red Dragon Flame Demon be truly fitting.

The entire transformation process was incredibly fast. By the time the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man’s attack arrived, he had already fully adapted to his new form.

So, when faced with the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man’s attack, Xu Ziyang, without the slightest hesitation… turned and fled.

That’s right. He had no intention of continuing the fight.

Having fought for this long, he was keenly aware of the situation. Since he couldn’t win, Xu Ziyang naturally wasn’t about to force a confrontation.

The Heavenly Dao Wooden Man checked its attack, a flicker of confusion in its expression.

He had witnessed the transformation that had just occurred; it was simply too bizarre.

Xu Ziyang himself might not have been aware of it, but the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man, as an observer, had seen everything with perfect clarity.

His opponent was very likely the puppet of some powerful existence. That existence had intervened at the critical moment precisely to prevent him from killing said puppet.

Otherwise, his opponent would have already died.

At the same time, this wasn’t just a rescue; it was a warning.

It was a message: this person had powerful backing. Don’t mess with him, or it wouldn’t end well for anyone.

‘The loss of contact with the Celestial Pavilion, as well as the deaths of Red Lotus, the Ghost King, and Yaksha… it was all likely the work of the existence behind this person.’ The Heavenly Dao Wooden Man found the situation increasingly troublesome.

The holder of the Pure Yang Fire Seed, combined with this monster, was already beyond the level of a normal Spirit Master. They were even stronger than the Celestial Pavilion members under his command.

The power of the mastermind behind them must be even greater. Otherwise, how could they possibly control such a monster?

He then began to expand his senses, which quickly enveloped the entire planet.

‘Seven Kills Disciples…’ The Heavenly Dao Wooden Man’s expression darkened instantly. The chaos on Red Meteor far exceeded his imagination.

The other four planets were chaotic, true, but their chaos was driven by conflicts of interest.

Red Meteor, however, was completely different. Here, it was slaughter for the sake of slaughter.

The slaughter by the Seven Kills Disciples had caused the entire planet’s condition to plummet. If left unchecked, Red Meteor would become a completely lifeless wasteland.

The problem was, the situation had already festered to an irreversible point.

Even if all the members of the Celestial Pavilion were deployed, they wouldn’t be able to suppress the spread of the *Blood Sea Killing Sutra*.

He had, of course, witnessed firsthand how someone became a Seven Kills Disciple.

He just couldn’t understand how it was spreading; the very principle behind its transmission was completely inexplicable.

All he could observe was that it seemed to be transmitted through some kind of pheromone emitted by intense emotions.

Yet, when he ran simulations, he couldn’t grasp the *Blood Sea Killing Sutra* at all, which left him utterly baffled.

This was not good. If Red Meteor continued its descent into chaos, it would inevitably affect his plans.

So now, he had only two paths to choose from. The first was to accelerate his plan and complete it before Red Meteor collapsed.

The second was even simpler: kill the Seven Kills Zhenren who was spreading the *Blood Sea Killing Sutra*.

He suspected that this person was responsible not only for the Seven Kills Disciples, but for the Red Dragon Flame Demon monster as well.

The process and underlying tone were just too similar. Both were centered on slaughter, and both bore the clear marks of deliberate interference.

The problem now was that he couldn’t find this person.

He had scanned the entire planet with his senses. And as for anomalies, there were certainly a few.

For example, he could sense the whereabouts of the Pure Yang Fire Seed’s holder and the Red Dragon Flame Demon’s escape trajectory.

It wouldn’t be too difficult to catch up with them if he wanted to.

However, he didn’t dare to act rashly. Red Meteor was simply too strange.

‘An existence of this caliber… when did it rise up on Red Meteor?’ the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man wondered.

“Not long at all,” Qi Suian answered with frank honesty, replying to the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man’s unspoken question.

The Heavenly Dao Wooden Man didn’t have an extreme reaction. Instead, he calmly turned his head to look at Qi Suian.

He could see Qi Suian’s physical form, yet he couldn’t sense his presence in the slightest. It was as if Qi Suian existed outside of reality itself, appearing in his field of vision by sheer will alone.

Yet, the observation of his five senses told him that the human before him was tangibly, solidly real.

Faced with this contradiction, he understood. His opponent was simply too powerful, possessing a power that he was incapable of observing.

If this person hadn’t deliberately revealed an observable form, he would have been completely oblivious to his presence.

As for who was stronger—this being or his own main body—the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man had no idea.

He couldn’t even fully observe him, so how could he possibly make a comparison?

“You are not a life form from this universe. No, you can’t even be considered a life form. I am very curious… what exactly are you?” The Heavenly Dao Wooden Man showed no fear, posing the question instead.

He was merely a clone of his main body. Even if he died here, it was of no real consequence.

As for his opponent using this clone to find his main body? The idea was absurd. With this being’s level of power, he could find his main body with ease, clone or no clone.

So, whether he lived, died, or was captured made no difference at all to the Heavenly Dao Wooden Man.

“You can’t tell? So you only call yourself the Celestial Dao? You aren’t the true Celestial Dao of this universe, or its cosmic will, or something of that nature?” Qi Suian retorted.

This disappointed him somewhat.

‘If this person had been the true Celestial Dao, then he could have just killed him, stopped all his scheming and plotting, and directly devoured the entire world.’

‘With the Celestial Dao gone, the world would be like a person in a vegetative state. He could chew on it however he pleased, and it wouldn’t react at all.’