Chapter 36: Want to Leave Another Hope

Elder Ding's Perfection and Great Dao's pressure compelled Lynn to retreat, but she could only watch helplessly as he led Nathan away from Great Dao.

Why hasn't Master arrived yet?

With doubts filling her heart, Shu Xue sighed and gazed up at Yun Xu Palace, hidden in the clouds on the mountaintop.

At this moment in Yun Xu Palace, little Aria was standing in front of a middle-aged man in a green robe with an extremely dignified appearance. A black mask filled with an evil aura, soaked in the flesh and blood of living beings, veiled her face.

Aria, how do you feel?

The middle-aged man in a green robe stroked little Aria's head, gently asking, his expression filled with concern, without the slightest bit of selfishness.

Behind the black mask, Aria's big, round eyes remained closed, and the shapes of two black demons, standing still to protect her, appeared behind her.

Aria and Uncle Jiang have completely controlled the heart demon; this mask is truly magical!

Unexpectedly, this middle-aged man in green robes is the famous Sect Master Jiang Chen, who only lost half a move to Henry. Although he lost four venerable gods, he still retreated safely, without any danger to his life. Today, Henry is missing, and Jiang Chen has probably recovered his former cultivation. The invasion of the twelve other forces would have torn apart the Aquatic Dao if he hadn't guarded the Mountain of Emptiness,

Uncle Jiang, you said that the Void Spirit Sutra is poisonous, and this mask can only be used to cure it. Then why do you still let your disciples cultivate?

After removing the mask, Aria looked innocently at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen gently tapped her forehead with his finger.

Little girl, you're so young, and you dare to question this sect master?

He clasped his hands behind his back, raised his head to gaze at the stone paintings depicting Master Yun Xu fighting alongside the heroes of the Chu Yu Empire, sighed deeply, and spoke:

Our Aquatic Dao has a history spanning more than fifty-six thousand years, dating back to its founding by Master Yun Xu. Time has passed, and although Aquatic Dao has not declined, it has never been able to surpass the Bright Realm or Holy Land. If we sacrifice a young generation in exchange for sixty thousand years of glory, do you think it is worth it?

How many people do we have to sacrifice in the end?

Aria was just a child and did not understand what Jiang Chen said, so she asked again.

There are not many; three more people would be enough.

Jiang Chen sighed and rubbed her head, and suddenly a murderous aura flashed in his eyes. This was also the moment Elder Ding led Nathan away from Aquatic Dao.

Elder Ding, don't you know how to write the word death?

Aria was frightened by Jiang Chen's fierce appearance. Jiang Chen seemed to feel the little girl trembling under his arms, so he smiled and picked her up.

Don't be afraid, good Aria; I will let you reunite with Big Brother soon...

Hearing the two words "big brother," Aria nodded.

Aria will try to quickly cultivate the nine-god realm, as the master wishes! I don't want Big Brother to have to protect me anymore; I will protect him.

She had been cultivating steadfastly from the time she entered the sect until now, knowing that Nathan had many enemies outside the cultivation world. In her immature mind, he was the last survivor of Blossom village and also her only relative right now.

- Nine-god! Nathan, you must also try your best; whether Aquatic Dao can prosper or not depends on your efforts. When that day comes, sooner or later, you'll have to come back here to find my mask!

Hugging Aria in his arms, the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth curled up into a cold smile.

At the same time, at the Fire Vein in the heart of the Mountain of Emptiness, the shameless black turtle was swimming around in the lava, occasionally opening its tiny mouth to suck hard, causing the true fire below to all go straight into its stomach.

It's been so long since I've eaten true fire. So delicious! However, the strength of this true fire pales in comparison to the heavenly fire. I consumed nearly all of the world's eighteen most powerful heavenly fires that year; the memory of it always evokes a sense of nostalgia.

If anyone listened to the black turtle's words, they would probably curse it for being delusional and boastful. We divide the flames in this world into two main types: innate fire and acquired fire.

Acquired fire is the fire that cultivators or demons use their cultivation and divine abilities to refine. The strength will depend on the creature's cultivation level as it refines.

There are two types of innate fire: earth fire and heavenly fire. Earth fire is a type of fire that is born underground, using the five elements, four symbols, and everything else. The heavenly fire is formed in the sky, using the great path as its root. It is extremely terrifying; even if the Great Emperor is unlucky enough to be hit by the heavenly fire, his life will be in danger. The Hell King employs a type of heavenly fire known as karma fire, which condenses the karma of living beings and imprints it on the great path in the void.

Ah, there is a terrifying demonic fluctuation, at least reaching the Heavenly level in the Emperor Realm.

The black turtle trembled violently, using its fastest speed to charge up to the crater before running quickly back to Nathan's cave. Although it did not have any fluctuating cultivation power, the black turtle's speed was even several times faster than Nathan's when he used Devil Dao.

Damn it, I've seen a ghost! I didn't expect that the world's vitality would be so low, yet a Heavenly-level expert could appear. I have to go back and tell Lennox to pack up and leave. Ah, he ran away first?

The black turtle was stunned when he looked at the two figures that had just rushed through the sky.

Lennox, wait for me; I still have to suck your spirit liquid to recover. I don't know how long it will take to meet an eternal life body; if I miss it, I'm afraid I won't have a chance to recover in this life.

After finishing speaking, the turtle once again chased after Nathan in the direction he had just flown.

Elder Ding pulled Nathan straight up into the sky, stepping on a leaf-shaped Dao treasure and flying towards the East Chu Yu Empire at the fastest speed.

Nathan screamed in agony, his wrist bones breaking several times under the force of the grip. Had it not been for his Eternal Life Body, which possesses the ability to heal against the heavens, Nathan would undoubtedly have suffered crippling and transformed into a one-armed Yang Guo.

"Humph, I thought you were a cruel person who didn't know what pain was!"

Elder Ding spoke with a cold demeanor, his speed not slowing down but rather increasing.

"Senior, I was blind and couldn't see the mountain before. I accidentally offended you; please forgive me."

Because he had already left the Aquatic Dao and didn't even see Jiang Chen chasing after him to save him, Nathan began to fear that Elder Ding would really make a move.

"How many facets does this individual possess?" Just now, you dared to boldly declare that you would beat me into a pig's head, and now you're acting so timid and timid?"

Senior, I actually have two personalities living in one body. Previously, my malevolent nature caused you offense. However, I have now subdued that aspect, revealing my true self as Nathan, a virtuous individual who adheres to the Tao, shows reverence towards elders, and never yields to evil.

If you keep talking nonsense, I will cut your tongue!

Elder Ding squeezed his wrist hard again, causing the bones there to shatter.

In the end, what do you want to do to me?

Nathan shouted loudly, struggling to stand firmly on the flying magic treasure shaped like a leaf.

Elder Ding turned his head to look at him for the first time; the corner of his lips curled into a faint smile.

Why are you still asking? You killed my beloved disciple; now I ask you to return another disciple?

Nathan was stunned and asked back:

Are you joking, senior? I am not a god; how can I create another King Lu?

When he said that, Elder Ding immediately became angry.

Are you truly stupid, or are you feigning ignorance? Do you not comprehend my intention?

The old man stroked his beard and looked at the ten thousand miles of white clouds in front of him.

You are an eternal life body with a strong bloodline and a strong person's heart. If you can't find a suitable disciple for me, who else is capable?

So Senior is aiming for my bloodline. Then it's easy to say, "Wait a few tens of thousands of years, I'll get married and have a child, and I'll definitely tell my child to take you as my master!"

Nathan patted his chest, putting on an extremely trustworthy appearance that made Elder Ding spit blood.

I haven't even reached two hundred years of life; by the time you give birth to a child, I will have turned into a pile of dry bones. Listen carefully; with your talent, you must have discovered the abnormality in the Void Spirit Scripture. There are only two ways to resolve this defect. One method involves using Black Face, the sect's magical treasure of Aquatic Dao, to suppress the demon in your heart. However, beware of this method; once you return, you will become highly dependent on it, making it difficult to leave. Just consider Lynn's situation: she must return to the sect once a year to use the mask to suppress her inner demons, allowing Jiang Chen complete control over her life and death. One day, he will devour her to fulfill his own desires.

It turns out that the sect leader really wants to devour the sect geniuses!

Nathan was silent.

Are elders like yourself involved in this? I heard that you guys were the ones who participated in adjusting the Void God Scripture, turning it into a flawed cultivation method.

At this point, Elder Ding did not want to hide it from him, so he sighed and nodded.

Over fifty-six thousand years have elapsed; numerous Aquatic Dao geniuses have emerged, yet none have attained the title of Great Emperor. After a discussion, we made the decision to sacrifice a younger generation to help Jiang Chen reach the title of Great Emperor. By doing so, we could contribute to the prosperity of our sect for the next sixty thousand years.

What a shocking plan—sacrificing countless talents to help one person achieve emperor status! Nathan could not help but sigh. One general's success is worth ten thousand bones. One strong person's enlightenment necessitates the death of countless other heroes. If you look at it from his perspective, Jiang Chen is a great villain, but if he succeeds and leads Aquatic Dao to shake the human world for sixty thousand years, he will become a hero in the eyes of the sect's disciples.

Then why did you lead me away from Aquatic Dao? You should've locked me up and waited for Sect Leader Jiang to devour me.

Nathan smiled, his face full of mockery, making Elder Ding feel ashamed.

Having lived for a long time, I can probably only be compared to the ancient monsters from the Response Tribulation Realm in the Chu Yu Empire. Throughout my life, I have encountered numerous talented individuals, but Henry stands out above the rest. He is too amazing, too domineering; even the most respected geniuses in the Levant Sea have lost their lives at his hands. But you, I don't know why I can see his shadow in your actions...

His gaze shifted towards the image of the Mountain of Emptiness, which had now turned into a black dot on the horizon.

If Jiang Chen fails on that path, I want to leave Aquatic Dao with another hope...