Chapter 108: I Am Wusheng, Greetings, Fellow Daoist

This aura seemed to share the same source as the blood-red lotus in the void, carrying with it calamity and ill omens. The moment it appeared, it was like a drop of ink falling into clear water, instantly bleeding out into the surrounding sea of clouds.

However, this pollution was quickly discovered by Lin You. His Daoist marks flickered between his brows, and his aura became noble and majestic, as if he were a deity commanding the heavens and the earth, preparing to suppress the evil being about to manifest.

With his right hand formed into a sword finger, after having severely wounded the Gu Master in the sky, he slowly opened his left hand, turned his palm, and gripped downward. The power of heaven and earth within the entire Daoist arena instantly pressed down upon the blood cocoon.

In an instant, the cocoon was covered in mottled cracks, as if unable to withstand the immense pressure, and it was on the verge of shattering into pieces. But before Zhao Fan and the others could breathe a sigh of relief, thick black mist surged from the cracks, accompanied by countless ominous wails that sounded like the cries of living creatures, desperately resisting the power of the heavens and earth.

At this moment, Lin You had less than ten strands of mana and true qi remaining in his body. The Gu Master he had just faced, drawing upon the power of the blood-red lotus, had nearly reached the might of the Dao Foundation realm, pushing even Zhang Yuan-yi into a disadvantageous position. The world-shaking strike Lin You had just unleashed—by channeling the power of the arena to severely wound the Gu Master—had exhausted most of his accumulated mana.

Yet, the aura now emanating from the blood cocoon was even more terrifying than that of the Gu Master; it felt as if a complete, Dao Foundation-level fiend was about to crawl out from within.

On the other side, seeing the blood cocoon about to birth its occupant, the Gu Master, who had nearly been cleaved in two by the sword light, suddenly lit up. Feeling his own wounds, he coughed up blood and laughed wildly at Lin You:

"Hahaha! Daoist Yuchen, it seems your cultivation is only at the first level of the Dao Foundation! Let us see how you withstand the Dharma Body of the Calamity Gu of our Cult Master!"

Fortunately, he had been prepared. He had left the Calamity-Shattering Gu Needle bestowed by the Cult Master with Ling Xu. Now, as long as the Calamity Gu finished gestating, his life would be saved! It was only a pity for the baleful energy he had collected over these years, which was meant to be traded for the Life-Severing Dharma Pill to break through to the Dao Foundation realm; now, it had all gone to waste.

Thinking of this, the Gu Master gnashed his teeth, eager to see how Daoist Yuchen would end up without a burial ground!

Lin You ignored the Gu Master's words, sensing the remaining true qi in his body and pondering for a moment. It seemed that even with his full strength, it would be difficult to suppress this cocoon for long. Since that was the case, it was better to break one of the enemy's fingers than to injure all ten! It was better to first deal with this noisy Gu Master.

Having made up his mind, Lin You did not hesitate. He mobilized all the remaining true qi in his body and struck once more at the distant Gu Master.

Seeing the brilliant sword light descend again, the smile on the Gu Master's face froze, and he turned deathly pale. He had not expected his opponent to abandon the struggle against the Calamity Gu to take his life instead! But with his Blood Lotus Spirit Treasure bound by the power of the arena and himself severely wounded, how could he possibly withstand this strike?

One sword stroke, and life was extinguished.

The roar filled with unwillingness and resentment came to an abrupt end. This leader of the Gu Department of the Wusheng Cult had reached his finale. The Blood Lotus Spirit Treasure let out a mournful cry and tried to flee, but when its master had been alive, it could not break free of the restraints; now that the Gu Master was dead, how could it hope to do so on its own?

After slaying the Gu Master, Lin You beckoned with his hand and immediately grasped the blood lotus.

At this moment, the blood cocoon on the cloud terrace had completely shattered. A powerful Dao Foundation pressure instantly permeated the area.

"The End of Dharma descends, the Dao suffers no birth!"

Suddenly, a strange, murmuring whisper echoed from the black mist-shrouded cocoon. As the mist slowly dissipated, those on the cloud terrace finally saw what was inside. To their surprise, it was not the monster they had expected, but a strange old man with a kind and benevolent appearance.

Deep, unfathomable darkness lingered within his pupils. The evil aura surging around him formed a stark contrast with the compassion on his face, creating an extremely complex sense of contradiction.

The old man, dressed in hempen robes and barefoot, tilted his head slightly to look at Lin You on the cloud terrace. His gaze was profound, as if it could peer into the human heart. After a moment, a strange smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He formed a hand seal resembling a lotus flower and bowed to Lin You: "This poor Daoist is Wusheng. Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"

His tone was humble and his face compassionate; one could not see the domineering nature of a Cult Master, as he appeared more like an amiable elder chatting with an old friend.

However, Zhao Fan and the others felt their scalps tingle the moment they looked at him. Every hair on their bodies stood on end, and they had the illusion of being watched by something truly horrific. Even the disciples Qing Suo and Qing Wei, who had their own trump cards, could not help but grip their life-saving jade talismans tightly. Compared to the sect's mission, their own lives were clearly more important!

At this moment, the only one in the arena whose expression remained unchanged was Lin You on the cloud terrace. His eyes were clear and his face calm. He met the old man's gaze for a moment before asking, "Are you the Imperial Preceptor of Great Yu?"

The old man nodded with a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist is likely not from the Ancestral Realm, are you? Are you from the Lingbao Heaven, the Qingwei Heaven, or perhaps another blessed Grotto-Heaven?"

When he mentioned the Qingwei Heaven, both Qing Suo and Qing Wei were shaken, looking at the old man in disbelief. To know of their Grotto-Heavens and spiritual dwellings, this person's background was likely extraordinary, and he was quite possibly of the same status as them. But the cost of smuggling a Dao Foundation cultivator into this realm would make even a Primordial Embryo True Monarch frown.

For this person to descend to this realm, he must have grand designs! They wondered if it would affect their own sect mission. Thinking of this, the two felt their minds in turmoil.

However, neither the old man nor Lin You paid any mind to their reactions, instead engaging in a conversation.

"I wonder which Grotto-Heaven you hail from, Imperial Preceptor? Are you not afraid of that True Disciple of the Taiyuan Sect?" Lin You countered.

The old man laughed heartily, unbothered by Lin You's evasiveness, and explained patiently: "This poor Daoist is an outcast from a Grotto-Heaven; my background is truly not worth mentioning. As for the Taiyuan Sect, as long as we do not disturb the ley lines of this realm, how could a mere Dao Foundation cultivator like us attract the surveillance of the Taiyuan Mirror?"

He then looked at Lin You with a strange expression and asked, "Conversely, Fellow Daoist, to enter this realm with Dao Foundation cultivation—your sect must have expended a great deal of resources to bypass the Taiyuan Mirror, surely? May I ask why? Perhaps we have the possibility of cooperation!"

Lin You had merely been probing him, never expecting to actually unearth such secrets. The Taiyuan Mirror? Was that the name of a spirit treasure? If this man's words were true, the Taiyuan Sect relied on this spirit treasure to monitor the heavens and earth. It was just a pity he did not know what kind of miraculous properties this treasure possessed.

Unfortunately, with only these few words, it was difficult for Lin You to deduce anything more.