341: [Discussion on the Dao]

In the arena, Yun Chenzi withdrew his gaze.

It was just a passing bug, not worth a single thought from him.

Then, his gaze, which carried an invisible and heavy pressure, fell upon Li Daoxuan and Zhuge Mingyi in the air.

The moment they were locked by this gaze, Li Daoxuan felt his entire body tighten, as if bound by invisible shackles, and his Dharmic power circulation became thirty percent more sluggish.

This was a form of oppression originating from the level of Laws, causing the Golden Cores within their bodies to tremble.

Li Daoxuan's expression became solemn to the extreme. The thick, earthy-yellow radiance around him flickered unsteadily as he struggled to resist the crushing sensation that seemed to be stripping him away from the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

Zhuge Mingyi fared even worse. He specialized in the arts of Heavenly Secrets and Karma and was naturally not adept at combat. Now, enveloped by the dao rhyme that formed its own world, he felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire. His face instantly turned pale, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Both men felt bitter in their hearts, but they didn't dare show any of it on their faces. They could only force out stiff, yet polite, smiles.

Finally, Yun Chenzi spoke.

“Li Daoxuan, and the Junior of the Zhuge Family, instead of cultivating in your own Blessed Lands, you've come to my Qingming Immortal Sect's territory to shout and kill. Do you think there is no one in Qingming, or do you think this seat is easy to bully?”

His voice was flat, yet every word was like a thunderclap striking their minds.

At the same time, as his voice fell, the rotation speed of the five-colored light wheel around him suddenly accelerated.

In an instant, five distinct yet perfectly integrated dao rhyme pressures, like a divine mountain of the Five Elements, crashed down towards Li Daoxuan and the other. Even the surrounding space let out a faint, overwhelmed hum.

Li Daoxuan groaned, and the Void Realm beneath his feet seemed to collapse slightly. His heart was even more turbulent, like a stormy sea.

“This... is this really Golden Core Perfection? How can this Dao manifestation be so much stronger than mine!”

For a moment, Li Daoxuan even had the illusion that he was practicing a fake path to immortality!

He felt that his [Thick Earth] Dao, in front of the other's complete [Five Elements], was like a small boat in a storm; the gap was beyond calculation!

“Fellow Daoist, please calm your anger, it's a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!”

Li Daoxuan suppressed the fear and frustration in his heart and hurriedly spoke, forcing a very strained smile onto his face.

“Li has absolutely no intention of offending you or the Qingming Immortal Sect! This matter is purely a coincidence, I ask for your forbearance, Fellow Daoist!”

How could he dare tell the truth?

Could he, a dignified Great True Person of Golden Core Perfection, personally admit that the Spirit-Nurturing Treasure Physique he had spent countless efforts and decades secretly nurturing had been snatched away right under his nose?

This was not just a matter of his reputation; it would also expose his secrets.

After all, this was a trump card for his own Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, a matter concerning the Foundation of his Dao path. He absolutely could not let outsiders know, especially someone like Yun Chenzi!

Therefore, he could only be vague, attempting to gloss over it.

Beside him, Zhuge Mingyi also quickly chimed in: “Indeed, indeed! I hope the Immortal Master can see clearly. This Junior only came at the invitation of Immortal Master Daoxuan and was unaware of the inner details. I have no intention of becoming an enemy of the Qingming Immortal Sect. This is all a misunderstanding!”

As he spoke, he even took a step to the side, looking as if he wanted to distance himself from Li Daoxuan, making the veins on Li Daoxuan's forehead throb.

However, the more they were vague and evasive, the more certain Yun Chenzi became of his suspicions.

“A misunderstanding?”

A mocking curve appeared at the corner of Yun Chenzi's mouth, and five-colored radiance flowed in his eyes.

“What kind of misunderstanding could cause you, a Great True Person of Golden Core Perfection, to deign to cross boundaries and take action against someone at the Mid-stage Golden Core?”

This was clearly a prepared move with a clear objective!

Yun Chenzi was almost certain that this was some opponent who did not wish to see him successfully break through to Nascent Soul playing tricks in the shadows.

Li Daoxuan might indeed be unaware, but he was surely a pawn pushed forward to create trouble for him and delay his entry into the Secret Realm.

Li Daoxuan felt bitter in his heart. He had grievances he couldn't voice and could only dryly deny the accusations.

After a further exchange of arguments, Yun Chenzi saw that Li Daoxuan refused to budge and gradually lost his patience.

Regardless of who the mastermind was, the mere fact that Li Daoxuan had trespassed into Qingming territory and taken action was already an offense!

If he did not impose punishment, where would the dignity of the Qingming Immortal Sect be?

In the future, wouldn't any random person dare to come and act wildly?

Thus, he couldn't be bothered to argue further with these two and intended to strike directly.

Of course, directly killing the two was not advisable.

Although the Li Family and the Zhuge Family were only middle-tier within the Blessed Lands, they both had the faint shadows of Grotto-Heaven forces behind them.

Of course, it wasn't just them; it could be said that all Blessed Lands in the Outer Domain had more or less intricate connections with the Grotto-Heavens of the Inner Domain.

The Qingming Immortal Sect also had the Qingwei Dao Sect behind it and did not fear them. However, at this critical period of his push for the Nascent Soul stage, it was better to avoid trouble. There was no need to provoke powerful enemies for a moment's satisfaction.

But while the death penalty could be avoided, punishment was inescapable!

If he couldn't kill them, he would give them a beating!

As his voice fell, Yun Chenzi took a gentle step forward.

With that step, the heavens and earth suddenly changed color!

However, Yun Chenzi did not choose to suppress them with brute force or engage in direct combat.

Instead, he chose to compare their Dao attainments—that is, [Discussing the Dao]!

The so-called 'Discussing the Dao' was to expound upon one's own understanding of the Dao and the level of comprehension of the Laws of Heaven and Earth.

This was a direct collision of essences, a frontal confrontation of the 'Great Dao' each held, meant to clash and crush the other's dao foundation!

Behind Yun Chenzi, the five-colored light wheel suddenly brightened. Gold, green, black, red, and yellow radiance soared into the sky, evolving into clear imagery.

The gold transformed into sharp Sword Qi filling the sky, humming loudly.

The green transformed into boundless, towering ancient trees, endless and ever-growing.

The black transformed into a vast ocean, with surging waves, deep and unfathomable.

The red transformed into a prairie fire, burning the sky and boiling the sea.

The yellow transformed into endless mountains and lands, layered and heavy, carrying all things.

The five colors shimmered and linked together: Gold birthed Water, Water birthed Wood, Wood birthed Fire, Fire birthed Earth, and Earth birthed Gold.

Cycling endlessly, they finally formed a grand Five Elements Dao Diagram, slowly pressing down towards Li Daoxuan!

This was no longer a simple contest of Dharmic power, but a crushing of 'Dao'. It was Yun Chenzi using his own [Five Elements] Law to overwhelm and even dismantle the [Thick Earth] Law cultivated by Li Daoxuan!

The moment the Five Elements Dao Diagram appeared, Li Daoxuan's expression changed drastically.

But he knew clearly that he could not avoid this, nor should he!

This was a 'Dao Struggle'. If he took even one step back, his Great Dao manifestation would surely be damaged.

At best, his Dao Heart would shatter; at worst, his dao foundation would be destabilized, or he might even suffer a Dao Death!

With no way to retreat, Li Daoxuan could only let out a roar, not daring to hold anything back as he fully mobilized the [Thick Earth] Law.