Chapter 356: Time to Hone the Technique

Eating felt a little strange at a time like this, but from inside the snow house, he could see the scenery outside.

Night had fallen. Countless stars filled the sky, and the surrounding landscape, blanketed in white snow, shimmered with a soft, reflected glow.

It was cold outside, but warm and cozy inside.

A sip of low-proof sweet wine, followed by a bite of grilled pork belly wrapped in lettuce. Even if the meat wasn’t the best, it seemed to take on a certain romantic flair in this moment.

The scene made Duan Fei sigh wistfully. ‘If only Jinghong were here.’

‘I really wish she could see this.’

The Old Dao at his side also put down his cup and sighed. “If only my apprentice were here. I wish he could see this, too. Hmm? Duan Someone, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing. I’m just trying to figure out if there’s something wrong with you or with me. How do you see your apprentice?”

“He’s like a son to me. Why?”

“Oh… um…”

Stroking his chin, Duan Fei began to wonder if he saw Jinghong as his own son.

‘But judging by my recent behavior, that’s obviously not it.’

Shaking his head, Duan Fei pushed his tangled thoughts aside and looked at the Old Dao. “I’ve read the Yingjie Chapter, so I know you have a method for Soul Return. Right now, the Evil Corpse is controlling a Divine Spirit, and their union has created a malevolent force. When that happens, this entire world will be destroyed. Why haven’t you gone back to regain control of your Evil Corpse?”

“I can’t go back,” the Old Dao sighed. “As you can see, that thing has me targeted. It knows where I’m from, and it knows my goal. The moment I return to my home world, it will destroy that world instantly. Everything will be gone.”

“The Heavenly Dao is that powerful?”

“It governs all the scroll worlds. You tell me if it’s powerful or not. It was the same for the Immortals before. That thing slaughtered every single Immortal who ascended. Not one of them escaped.”

“Why?”

“Well, you can think of it this way: that thing controls all the Spirituality in this world, and all Spirituality must operate according to its established rules. But when Immortals ascend, they take a massive amount of Spirituality with them, and that’s something it cannot permit. So, it hunts down every ascendant, leaving none behind.”

“Not even if you want to take Spirituality back to save your own world?”

“Nope.” The Old Dao shook his head regretfully as he chewed his meat. “My world is already shattered. It’s destined to perish sooner or later, which is in line with that thing’s rules. But me acquiring Spirituality through other means? That breaks the rules, so I must be eliminated. Fortunately, I’m a peerless genius, and I’ve recently gained a great deal of merit from enduring the calamity. Otherwise, I’d have been dead long ago.”

Pointing to the golden light above his head, the Old Dao said, “This golden glow is the light of merit. Thankfully, my plans have been working out lately, which is how I got so much. Oh, here comes more.”

The golden light above the Old Dao’s head suddenly flared. A dozen more streams of golden light materialized from thin air, making the Old Dao clap his hands in excitement.

“Excellent! You Descenders are truly incredible, actually helping me generate so much merit.”

“Well, I’m not happy about it. I keep getting the feeling I’m being taken for a ride. How’s your Spirituality collection going?”

“It’s almost enough. Shipping this back should allow my apprentice to complete his Cultivation to the point of ascension. After that, we’ll find a large scroll world and continue our Cultivation slowly, searching together for a way to unite all worlds so they will no longer fall.”

Looking at the Old Dao, Duan Fei found his ideal to be quite grand, and it resonated with him.

So, he quickly finished off the rest of the grilled meat and said to the Old Dao, “Alright. Get ready to go back.”

“Do you have a bad memory? Didn’t I just tell you that thing is always watching me?”

“Just don’t let it discover you. The Heavenly Dao is a bit single-minded, after all. You must have a way to deal with that, right?”

“I do have a trick, but…”

“I’ll hold it off for a long time. Just give me a signal when you’re ready. In any case, trust me.”

The Old Dao looked at Duan Fei doubtfully, wondering where his confidence came from.

However, considering that Duan Fei himself didn’t seem to attract the Heavenly Dao’s attention, the Old Dao felt his confidence might have some basis.

And so, after a moment of thought, he finally nodded. “Let me observe the situation first. I’ll make my decision after that.”

“Fine. When you’re ready, just call out to the Heavenly Dao. This time, don’t worry about me. Just find your chance and go back.”

The Old Dao conjured more pork belly and resumed eating.

He ate very slowly, as if it were his last meal before the guillotine, savoring every bite with extreme care.

Duan Fei could understand his hesitation. After all, this might very well be his last bite.

Finally, the Old Dao finished everything by the stove, drained his wine in one gulp, and stared at Duan Fei. “Duan Someone, I’m putting my faith in you! Heavenly Dao!”

The Old Dao bellowed with all his might, the sound so powerful it shook the surrounding snowflakes and sent them flying backward.

And with his call, the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Dao descended.

After giving Duan Fei a quick fist-and-palm salute, the Old Dao immediately bolted.

A moment later, the ground shook violently, trembling as if it had been struck by a meteor.

But despite the violent tremor, the snow on the ground remained perfectly undisturbed.

A handsome young man appeared on the snow. His features were as beautiful as a celestial being’s, but his expression was one of pure indifference, holding the ancient weariness of one who has seen all things.

The Old Dao was already gone, but the entity didn’t give chase. Instead, it looked around, frowning in thought.

The Heavenly Dao was the integration of all the rules in the scroll world, but it also contained human elements, allowing it to protect the scroll world comprehensively.

Right now, a tiny part of its senses detected an anomaly here, but the vast majority told it there was nothing.

This contradiction left it unsure of which sense to trust, and it grew increasingly confused about whether something was truly here.

But before it could figure things out, Duan Fei made his move.

He infused his longsword with Divinity, and the ten-meter blade pierced through the Heavenly Dao’s body, causing a few drops of golden blood to spill out.

In the next instant, the Heavenly Dao’s body reappeared a short distance away, completely healed.

‘Strange. What just attacked me?’

“It was me! Me!” Duan Fei waved with a malicious grin before striking it with his sword again.

Once again, it coughed up blood, and once again, it instantly recovered. The Heavenly Dao stared in astonishment at the blood it had just spat out, not understanding why.

The injuries themselves were trivial to it, but the unsettling part was that it had almost no idea who or what stood before it.

Duan Fei, on the other hand, was having a blast.

A king-sized target was standing right in front of him—and it was this world’s most powerful entity, the Heavenly Dao, no less. Hacking away like this might unlock some kind of achievement. Even if it didn’t, he could still raise his proficiency in [Crowbar Art] and [Crowbar Swordsmanship]. It was a win-win.

And so, Duan Fei took out some Black Mashed Potatoes, applied the buff to himself, and then, like a man possessed, began carving into the Heavenly Dao to hone his skills.