136: The dust has settled

The gentle energy bestowed by the Heavenly Dao poured in like an overturned celestial river, surging through Yang Kai's crown and into his body. Wherever it passed, the lingering might of the Heavenly Tribulation within his Meridians was instantly smoothed away. Even the thirty-six acupoints required for the third stage of the Ninefold Mixed Origin Body Refining Art were flushed by this energy, 'bang, bang, bang,' as seven more burst open in succession.

At this point, he had opened twenty-nine acupoints, leaving only seven more to reach the Perfection of the third stage. The pale golden luster on his Physical Body became increasingly solid; touching it with one's hand would reveal a metal-like hardness, and even his fingertips slicing through the air carried a faint sound of breaking the air.

What surprised Yang Kai even more was the change within his Dantian. The Heavenly Dao patterns on the pure white Dao Foundation had completely come to life, rotating slowly as if they had a life of their own. With every rotation, they autonomously drew the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth into his body, without him needing to deliberately circulate his Cultivation Technique.

Even more peculiar was that the Dao Foundation took the initiative to connect with the Flowing Cloud Heart Sutra and the Ascension Heart Sutra that had merged within his body, opening up a 'shortest closed loop' in his Meridians. Previously, circulating one complete cycle required starting from the Dantian and traversing the entire route recorded in the Cultivation Technique, which was time-consuming. Now, he only needed to draw Qi from the Dao Foundation, connect directly to the Yongquan acupoint through the Pericardium Meridian, and then return to the Dantian along the Governor Meridian. He could complete a full cycle in just ten breaths. His Spiritual Qi recovery speed was more than ten times faster than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the explosive power of his Spiritual Qi output when casting Spells was more than ten times greater.

'Is this the mystery of Heavenly Foundation Establishment?' Yang Kai marveled inwardly, further perceiving the deep connection between the Dao Foundation and the heavens and earth. With a mere thought, he could sense the flow of Spiritual Qi within a radius of ten miles and could even borrow the power of the earth veins to augment his Spells. If he had encountered the Lightning Tribulation just now, he would have been able to easily resist it by drawing upon the Spiritual Qi of the earth veins beneath his feet.

More importantly, the power of the Heavenly Dao contained within the Dao Foundation had allowed his Immortal and Demonic energies to completely fuse. The clear, spiritual Spiritual Qi of the Immortal Dao and the overbearing Devilish Qi of the Demonic Path intertwined within his closed-loop Meridians, forming a brand-new energy of alternating gold and silver. It possessed neither the sluggishness of the Immortal Dao nor the violence of the Demonic Path. When he threw a punch, the force of the blow carried both the golden light that purified evil and the black radiance that tore through the Void Realm, with power far exceeding that of a single Cultivation Technique.

'Heavenly Foundation Establishment is indeed extraordinary.' Mo Xuan's voice came from afar, his tone carrying an unconcealable complexity. 'It is rumored that Heavenly Foundation Establishment has two major abilities. First, the Dao Foundation connects to the heavens and earth, allowing you to autonomously draw Qi and Cultivate, and you can borrow the power of the earth veins and the Heavenly Dao. When a Cultivator of the same rank fights you, it is equivalent to fighting the surrounding heavens and earth simultaneously. Second, Heavenly Foundation Establishment is protected by the Heavenly Dao. In the future, when you undergo the Heavenly Tribulation, the Heavenly Dao will automatically weaken the tribulation force by thirty percent. This is an Opportunity that ordinary Cultivators cannot even beg for.'

Just as Yang Kai was about to open his mouth to thank him, a sharp sound of breaking through the air suddenly came from the distant sky. A pale blue stream of light streaked across like a meteor and instantly landed on the street below the restaurant.

The person who arrived was wearing the Daoist robe of Qingyun Peak of the Flowing Cloud Sect. His face was resolute, and the Peak Void Refining aura radiating from his body was as heavy as a mountain. It was none other than Zi Ning's father, the Master of Qingyun Peak, Real Person Zi Langya!

As soon as Real Person Zi Langya landed, his gaze instantly locked onto Zi Ning, his eyes full of concern. 'Ning'er, are you alright?'

'Dad!' Zi Ning's eyes turned red, and she ran quickly to her father's side. 'I'm fine, thanks to Yang Kai protecting me, and also... although this Senior is a Demonic Cultivator, he did not harm us.'

Seeing that Real Person Zi Langya dared to ignore him and intrude upon the barrier he had set up, Mo Xuan's expression darkened. With a light lift of his withered finger, an invisible pressure of the Dao bore down on Real Person Zi Langya like dark clouds.

Real Person Zi Langya's expression changed abruptly. He could clearly feel the power of the Dao contained within this pressure. He dared not be negligent, so he quickly formed seals with both hands. The pale blue Spiritual Qi around his body surged, condensing into a huge Spiritual Qi shield.

'Bang!' The pressure of the Dao slammed heavily onto the shield. Real Person Zi Langya felt a massive force surge into his body along his arms. As his blood and Qi roiled, he was shaken and forced to retreat repeatedly. He retreated a full five zhang before stabilizing his figure. The bluestone slabs beneath his feet were cracked with two deep fissures, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

'Dad!' Zi Ning exclaimed and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Real Person Zi Langya raising his hand.

'It is fine.' Real Person Zi Langya wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Mo Xuan with a solemn gaze. 'Although Your Excellency's Dao methods are profound, this is only a wisp of your will. I have already informed the Sect Leader, Qing Xuanzi, of my arrival this time. If Your Excellency continues to manifest the Dao, I believe our Sect Leader will be able to lock onto Your Excellency's Dao in an instant. At that time...'

Upon hearing this, a trace of coldness flashed in Mo Xuan's eyes. 'Are you threatening me?'

'I presume Your Excellency has already calculated these things in your heart; I am merely offering a reminder.' Real Person Zi Langya's expression was gentle, leaving no room for reproach.

Mo Xuan snorted coldly, and the golden light around his body began to shrink. 'Today, for the sake of your eagerness to protect your daughter, I will not hold this against you for now. However, the deep blood feud between the Flowing Cloud Sect and my Demonic Sect will never be let go. Tell Qing Xuanzi that one day, I will trample the Flowing Cloud Sect and cut off his head!'

'Kid, since you have already obtained the Legacy of my Demonic Sect, as a Demon Emperor, I should naturally reward you. This zhanlu sword was forged by the Huantian Demon Emperor back in the day, and every Demonic Lord has one. Over these years, I have created a sword technique based on this zhan lu sword called Sword Prison. Today, I will pass it on to you; do not disgrace the prestige of this zhanlu sword!' As his voice fell, Mo Xuan's figure turned into a stream of golden light and disappeared into the sky, leaving only the zhanlu sword stuck in the center of the street. The Devilish Qi on the sword had completely dissipated, clearly left intentionally by Mo Xuan for Yang Kai.

Seeing Mo Xuan retreat, Real Person Zi Langya breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly walked to Zi Ning's side to carefully check her injuries. 'It's good that you're not hurt. Do not take such risks again in the future.' He then turned to Yang Kai, his eyes filled with a bit more approval. 'You are Yang Kai? I have heard Ning'er mention you, calling you a rare Genius of the younger generation of the Flowing Cloud Sect, second only to Qin Zhengyang and others. I originally suspected that Ning'er had exaggerated, but for you to have actually completed the Heavenly Foundation Establishment and survived the six-fold Heavenly Tribulation, you are truly a promising youth.'

'Senior, you flatter me.' Yang Kai cupped his hands in salute. 'If not for Senior arriving in time, I do not know how much longer Zi Ning and I would have been detained by this Mo Xuan.'

'This person has already reached the Demon Emperor Realm, and his strength is unfathomable. These Cultivators who have completely fused the Dao they Cultivate with themselves possess indescribable power. Do not call them by their names directly.' Real Person Zi Langya said in a deep voice. 'His retreat this time is merely an expedient measure; I fear there will be a fierce battle in the future. However, for now, let us return to the Du Pang Dynasty imperial city. Elder Xuanqing and the others are still there clearing out the remaining Demonic Cultivators.'

'Senior, this sword...' Seeing that Langya Superior was very wary of Mo Xuan and unwilling to stay here for long, wanting to leave immediately, Yang Kai looked at the sword stuck in the distance. After all, it was a Magic Treasure bestowed by a Demon Emperor. Taking it away in front of a high-ranking member of an Immortal Dao Sect seemed a bit too brazen.

'It is fine. This sword is not like ordinary Demonic weapons; there is not a trace of filthy Devilish Qi on it. You take it first. When we return to the Sect, I will report the full story to the Sect Leader, and then we will decide.' Langya Superior moved his fingertips slightly, and the sword was pulled through the air. After carefully examining it, he handed it to Yang Kai.

After speaking, Real Person Zi Langya waved his hand, and a pale blue light shield enveloped Yang Kai and Zi Ning. Ripples appeared in the space around them. As the light shield flickered, the three figures disappeared from where they were. When they reappeared, they had landed on the city wall of the Du Pang Dynasty imperial city.

At this moment, the Devilish Qi over the imperial city had long since dissipated. The Disciples of the Flowing Cloud Sect and the soldiers of the Du Pang Dynasty were methodically clearing the corpses of the Demonic Cultivators from the streets. Cheers came from the direction of the Golden Throne Hall in the distance, clearly indicating that Meng Jingyi had resumed control of the overall situation.