Chapter 66: The Immortal Dao Must Perish

In the courtyard.

The stench of blood was thick in the air.

Liang Ying’s skull lay shattered on the ground. He was as dead as could be.

"You..."

Fourth Lady Mei’s eyes were bloodshot as she stared daggers at Li Chang’an.

She had wanted to threaten him, to force him to release Liang Ying.

But Li Chang’an was completely unfazed by her threats.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Fourth Lady Mei laughed, her face contorted with rage.

"Li Chang’an, you listen to me..."

BOOM!

Li Chang’an pointed a finger again.

The Gu Insect under Fourth Lady Mei’s control instantly exploded, turning into a pool of bloody pulp.

’So much nonsense.’

He couldn’t be bothered to listen to someone else’s empty threats. It was a complete waste of time.

Then, he slapped out several Fireball Talismans.

Roaring flames erupted, incinerating the flesh and blood in the courtyard to ash.

After taking care of everything, Li Chang’an began collecting the Array Flags of the Small Forbidden Array from the surrounding space.

’I’ll keep this Small Forbidden Array for now. It might be useful later.’

After all, this kind of Array couldn’t be bought in either the Marketplace or the Black Market.

If he ever really needed it, he didn’t want to have to travel all the way to Yellow Crane Immortal City to buy one.

After stowing away all the Array Flags, Li Chang’an remained vigilant, not letting his guard down in the slightest.

Before he knew it, an entire night had passed.

No more Gu Insects appeared, nor did any other Tribulation Cultivators from Black Wind Mountain show up.

’It seems things have settled down for now.’

Li Chang’an instructed Dahuang to keep an eye on their surroundings.

Then, he and the Profound Water Turtle returned to the house.

’A Tier One Late Stage Profound Water Turtle... The Magical Power it can lend me will surely be far greater than that of a Tier One Middle Stage beast. It’s time to test it out.’

Li Chang’an had wanted to try this for a while, but he had been interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Tribulation Cultivators.

At this moment, he swallowed a few conditioning Elixir Pills and instructed the Profound Water Turtle to adjust its state as well.

About a quarter of an hour later,

the auras of both man and turtle stabilized, their conditions restored to their peak.

"Let’s begin," Li Chang’an instructed.

The Profound Water Turtle gave a slight nod and began to use the Borrowing Technique.

Soon, the aura around Li Chang’an began to rise.

In the blink of an eye, it surged from the Qi Refining Fifth Layer to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, then rapidly climbed to the Peak of the Sixth Layer.

A few breaths later,

his aura suddenly transformed as he entered a new realm.

The Qi Refining Seventh Layer!

And it was still climbing.

It only stopped when it reached the Peak of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

"Not bad!"

Li Chang’an was particularly satisfied, feeling the power coursing through him.

The Borrowing Technique had not disappointed him.

In this state, the Magical Power he could wield was no different from that of a genuine Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivator.

’Perhaps I can try to paint a High-quality Top Grade Talisman now?’

If he could successfully create a High-quality Top Grade Talisman, he would be considered one of the foremost masters of the Talisman Dao in Qinghe Marketplace.

...

For a period of time after that, Li Chang’an’s life was exceptionally full.

He spent his days in a cycle of Cultivation, Body Refinement, and Talisman Painting.

One day, Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed slightly as he stared at the ruined Talisman Paper on his desk.

’High-quality Top Grade Talismans are just too difficult to make. I’ve tried so many times, but I haven’t succeeded even once.’

He couldn’t even succeed with the escape-type Talismans he was best at.

The closest he had come to success was when he managed to draw only fifty percent of the Spirit Patterns.

’Still, my skills have clearly improved a lot. I must be close to success.’

Li Chang’an put away his Talisman Painting tools and regulated his breathing for a moment.

Not long after, he climbed into the large vat, immersing himself in the foul-smelling medicinal liquid.

His progress on the Fourth Stage of Body Refinement was slow, far slower than the first three stages.

Li Chang’an had anticipated this.

Just as the transition from the Qi Refining Third Layer to the Fourth Layer was a hurdle, so too was the jump from the third stage of Body Refinement to the fourth.

It couldn’t be rushed.

...

That evening, Luo Kun paid him a visit.

He informed Li Chang’an that another small trade fair was about to begin.

This time, a very special Treasure would be appearing.

"What kind of Treasure?" Li Chang’an asked.

Luo Kun was also unsure; he had only heard bits and pieces of information.

"They say it’s a Stone Stele, excavated from a Secret Realm. As for what it does, we’ll find out tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you for telling me, Elder Luo."

Li Chang’an was curious but didn’t let down his guard.

Things from Secret Realms were always strange.

There might be danger involved.

That night, he quietly waited for his Divination to refresh.

He would only go if the Divination indicated it was safe.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Auspicious]

[You will go to the small trade fair and buy a decaying Token. You will unexpectedly discover a hidden space within the Token, which stores a Tier Two Low Grade Array: the "Thundercloud Annihilation Array."]

"A Tier Two Array?"

Li Chang’an was stunned.

The power of a Tier Two Array far surpassed that of a Tier One Array. They were items that almost only Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators could afford to use.

Previously, during the chaos in the Marketplace, that Tier Two Grand Array had enveloped the entire Qinghe Marketplace.

Its power was astounding.

Under Zheng Yuandao’s control, that Grand Array had killed all the Tribulation Cultivators almost instantly!

You have to understand, among those Tribulation Cultivators were several at the Late Stage of Qi Refining, and some possessed quite impressive Treasures.

But even so, under the power of the Tier Two Grand Array, they were no different from ants.

At that time, Li Chang’an had been thinking that if he could master a Tier Two Array, his path of Cultivation would surely be much smoother.

He never imagined that the opportunity would come so soon!

’Perfect. The Cloud Mist Hidden Killing Array is starting to feel inadequate.’

Li Chang’an was overjoyed.

...

「The next day.」

Early in the morning, Li Chang’an and Luo Kun headed to the small trade fair together.

Perhaps because of the special Treasure from the Secret Realm, this trade fair was even more bustling than the last one.

When the two of them arrived, the place was already crowded.

Most of the people were gathered in front of a Stone Stele, discussing it amongst themselves.

"Come on, let’s go take a look too!"

Luo Kun quickened his pace, pulling Li Chang’an along as he squeezed through the crowd.

Soon, the Stone Stele came into full view.

Judging by its appearance alone, it was an ordinary, gray-white Stone Stele, devoid of any Spiritual Power fluctuations.

However, the four words carved on it were shocking.

"The Immortal Dao Must Perish?"

Li Chang’an frowned, staring at those four words.

For some reason, he felt a faint, heart-pounding premonition, as if some disaster was about to befall him.

But when he looked away, the feeling vanished.

Just then, an older Cultivator spoke up.

"Everyone, I discovered this Stone Stele by chance in a Secret Realm. Its material seems unremarkable, but it is incredibly hard."

"Elder Zheng Yuandao once tried to shatter it but couldn’t even leave a single mark."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

This seemingly ordinary Stone Stele couldn’t even be broken by a Foundation Establishment Ancestor?

What kind of material was it?

And what level of Cultivation must the person who made this Stone Stele have had?

"Why carve the four words, ’The Immortal Dao Must Perish’?"

"Indeed, it’s truly baffling."

"There are countless fellow Qi Refining cultivators today, not to mention the powerful Foundation Establishment Ancestors guarding the lands. The Immortal Dao is at its zenith."

The people present looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

Could it be that something went wrong with the Immortal Dao during the Ancient Times?

In any case, the Immortal Dao was doing just fine now. There was no need to worry too much.