Chapter 954 - 890: The Heavenly Dao in the Central Continent

"If you really kill him, you’re afraid you’ll never find traces of the Heavenly Dao."

A voice suddenly appeared, somewhat familiar, but more importantly, that finger stopped instantly.

"Is it you?"

A murderous intent surged within the Celestial River, seemingly not unfamiliar with the Wise Elder either.

"Back when I entered the Central Continent, were you secretly spying all along?"

The Wise Elder responded blandly and calmly, "Yes, indeed it was me. Actually, you weren’t the only one. Another also sent people, which I knew."

"You were simply trying to ascertain the situation of the Heavenly Dao."

The Wise Elder’s tone carried a hint of mockery, stirring the Celestial River into a wave of turmoil.

"You were the one who tricked my disciple into establishing a different path!"

A wave of murderous intent spread throughout the Celestial River, continually extending in all directions. Everyone on the vast stone platform felt as if they had fallen into an icy pit, sudden and chilling to the bone.

The immense pressure left no one daring to move an inch.

Artifact Spirit was filled with trepidation; even in the Sea of Consciousness, it could still perceive the overwhelming pressure from the heavens, shrinking back and cursing non-stop.

The curses were naturally directed at the Heavenly Dao.

"That bastard, such a mess. Is there an intention for the two of us to deal with such an opponent? Is the Heavenly Dao even human?"

"The Heavenly Dao was never human to begin with."

Han Yu sighed helplessly, agreeing; this remark was both an explanation and an insult.

Of course, it was mostly due to the helplessness faced by the Central Continent, especially with this kind of legendary figure appearing.

He truly was beyond saving.

Not just beyond saving; if the Wise Elder’s rhetorical barrage was even slightly venomous, he’d likely meet a quicker demise.

At this moment, he was genuinely struggling to preserve himself.

"Your path is too narrow; only those four fools can follow you. Ironically, your most prized disciple is the sharpest. I don’t need to deceive; just showing him the Grand Dao suffices."

The Wise Elder’s words came with the same steady pace, causing Han Yu and Artifact Spirit’s hearts to sink. The rhetoric of the Wise Elder came forth again.

Little did they realize that, upon those words, except for the old Daoist who was relatively fine, Di Liuxin and the other three’s faces turned a dark liver color.

Mostly out of anger.

However, the Wise Elder’s voice did not fade but continued discussing the Dao.

"You and He attempted to steal the power of rules from the Heavenly Dao, a power supposed to be the end of various Dao paths. Yet you were too greedy. The Heavenly Dao was willing to offer the Divine Dao Realm a chance to advance, but you withheld it."

"You were only willing to offer them measly benefits, fearing that your actions might be repeated in time, wasn’t that right?"

"So your most valued disciple realized that following your path led only to a dead end. You underestimated the ambition of a remarkably talented cultivator."

The Celestial River suddenly roared, with waves rushing toward Han Yu. Under the onslaught, Han Yu’s flesh suffered immense agony, as if disintegrating.

The Wise Elder maintained a composed demeanor, repeating his initial words with a sigh.

"Knowing that he is a puppet of the Heavenly Dao, you wouldn’t consider that if you really kill him, the Heavenly Dao would still be willing to manifest? As long as the Heavenly Dao doesn’t appear, the most you can do is occupy the Central Continent in vain, and your position will never offer you the chance to covet it again."

Han Yu, who was swept into the air, suddenly crashed back down. After gritting his teeth, he was horrified to find his flesh already a bloody mess.

This was a terrifying realization.

Even more frightening than the opponent’s overpowering pressure.

His physical body was his trump card, it was how he had fought his way up from the beginning.

Even during various encounters breaking his physical defenses, it was not so easy to ruin him in this manner.

It could be said that the Wise Elder’s rhetoric stopped the opponent, or else he might truly have died beneath the Celestial River.

Is the Heavenly Dao this frightening?

"I don’t need the position of the Heavenly Dao; I can still reach the same level as the Heavenly Dao."

The Celestial River surged with a sound of slaughter.

"But you are never the Heavenly Dao; you forever have flaws, and over endless ages, someone will eventually replace you."

The Wise Elder’s rhetoric never disappoints, smoothing out the Celestial River with just a few words.

At this moment, the Celestial River was calm, seemingly in thought, seemingly contemplating.

The entire stone platform was silent as cicadas in winter; this was already a level beyond their reach, even in their conversation, understanding each word, yet not comprehending.

After a long time, the icy voice suddenly let out a cold laugh, "So you want me to spare him?"

"Why not go ahead and kill him, right now!"

"The only remaining trace of the Heavenly Dao is this kid; you can only gamble on whether he can make the Heavenly Dao appear. Otherwise, you’ll forever battle the other in the Central Continent across endless ages."

The Wise Elder sneered, seemingly certain of the opponent’s inclinations.

But the opposite was still a Celestial Being, not among the current beings of the Central Continent. It was once the heavens’ most favored Celestial Being, in terms of wisdom, a founding figure of the cultivation system.

In terms of strategies, it schemed against the Heavenly Dao.

In terms of strength, so powerful as to rival the Heavenly Dao itself.

It seems relying on eloquence is not easy.

"So you’re giving him a chance, and also giving the Heavenly Dao a chance?"

The cold words within the Celestial River were full of mockery.

Now it was Han Yu’s Wise Old Man’s turn to fall silent, but when he spoke again after a long pause, it was earth-shattering.

"I suspect the Heavenly Dao is hiding in the Central Continent. You can only make it appear through him. As long as the Heavenly Dao doesn’t appear, you can’t kill it!"

Damn!

Han Yu’s face turned extremely odd, and he couldn’t help but speak softly.

"Old man, whose side are you on exactly?"

Does this count as giving advice to the opponent?

And this old ghost Wise Old Man kept his secrets so tightly, clearly having a guess about the Heavenly Dao’s whereabouts but never saying it out loud.

The Heavenly Dao actually fled from the Soul Realm and hid in the Central Continent!

This matter is big.

Han Yu, like he’d suspected in the past, went through all his suspects again.

Ping, Artifact Spirit?

In the end, just like an old sage, he started suspecting the Artifact Spirit.

After all, the Artifact Spirit had too many suspicious aspects, claiming to be an Artifact Spirit yet having no semblance of one.

Besides, which Artifact Spirit can possess the power of rules? This power, Ping probably doesn’t even have, right?

Last time in the Soul Realm, when Ping was beating up the Wise Old Man, it didn’t show any other power.

While Han Yu was lost in random thoughts, a cold laugh echoed through the Celestial River.

"I don’t fear the Heavenly Dao. Let it bounce around for all I care!"

Before Han Yu knew what happened, the Wise Old Man was already whispering in his ear.

"Better hurry and escape with your people!"

Han Yu thought he’d heard wrong. Was that really enough?

The Wise Old Man’s eloquence is so strong, yet Han Yu was creating chaos here—burning, killing, smashing things up, and the Celestial Dao Sect was on the verge of tears. Could they really leave safely?

Even after being urged thrice, Han Yu still found it hard to imagine, but he took the old sage with him and tentatively took off.

The three of Di Liuxin’s group were about to make a move, but another voice intervened; it wasn’t theirs but Wuxian’s.

"Let them go."

The voice carried a tone of undeniable authority.

Even when he left the overseas region, Han Yu was still perplexed.

"Why are they willing to let me go?"

Of course, he was asking the Wise Old Man.

But after asking, there wasn’t a single response from beside him; eventually, Han Yu’s face turned dark.

"Look at the state I’m in right now, all thanks to you guys. Playing deaf and mute, I refuse to do anything further. Let whoever wants to do it, do it."

Perhaps seeing Han Yu’s ragged appearance, covered in wounds, the Wise Old Man’s voice finally came slowly.

With a tone full of helplessness, he said, "Because the Heavenly Dao can only be seen through you for now. Killing you won’t benefit them."

"Not killing me, aren’t they afraid I’ll continue disrupting?"

Han Yu couldn’t believe the opponent could be so generous, just letting them go.

"They fear the appearance of the Heavenly Dao but need it to appear all the same."

"If the Heavenly Dao isn’t completely extinguished, no one can take that position."

In the end, the Wise Old Man gambled on the opponent’s greed, or rather the allure of the Heavenly Dao’s position.

"So if I disrupt more, would they really not dare to kill me?"

Han Yu suddenly thought: if that’s true, wouldn’t he become invincible, impossible to kill?

"Then you can test their limits; it’s not my life at stake anyway."

The Wise Old Man teased.

This kind of reckless thinking is something only Han Yu would come up with.

Sometimes the Wise Old Man admired Han Yu’s fearless and fierce spirit, though to speak bluntly, he’s quite rash!

He didn’t know what stroke of fate made the Heavenly Dao choose such a person.

Han Yu didn’t know the Wise Old Man’s thoughts; he quickly asked the second question, which was a crucial one.

"Tell me, where exactly is the Heavenly Dao hiding in the Central Continent? Is it someone close to me?"

The Wise Old Man was silent for a moment, then sighed and spoke.

"Do you really want to know?"