The Betrayal of Old Man Yuan

“If you think highly of this old man, just call me Fellow Daoist,” Old Man Yuan said with a smile.

“Fellow Daoist Yuan.” Ji Ning nodded.

The atmosphere between them was subtle.

The war of the Ancient Ruins was over, and now the struggle for karmic fortune within the Three Realms was underway. When it reached its final stage, the ultimate battle would commence! And yet, even now, Old Man Yuan still refused to stand with Nuwa’s camp. Honestly, Ji Ning found the old man to be far too selfish.

“Let’s first have some wine I brought along,” Old Man Yuan said, reaching for the wine flask. But Ji Ning reached it first and laughed, “Allow me.”

Splash, splash.

Ji Ning filled two cups. Old Man Yuan picked up his cup and took a light sip. “I remember how unpolished you were back then. Now, in less than a thousand years, you’ve reached this level. The Seamless Gate has you in their crosshairs, but they can’t find a way to remove you.”

“The Seamless Gate’s forces aren’t all that impressive,” Ji Ning said as he looked at Old Man Yuan. “From the surface, they’re actually weaker than our side. So, Fellow Daoist Yuan, why won’t you stand with us? My master Subhuti and many other great powers—many of whom were born from the primordial chaos alongside you, who were life-and-death friends while roaming the Primordial Pangu World.”

“Yes, life-and-death friends.” Old Man Yuan nodded lightly. “But for the sake of my own Dao, everything else can be abandoned.”

“Your Dao?” Ji Ning stared at him.

“My Dao lies in the broader territories beyond,” Old Man Yuan said with a gentle smile. “The Three Realms are merely a single chaosworld. Out there, there are countless more chaosworlds, World Gods, Chaos Immortals… vast territories teeming with them. That is my true stage. Wasting my life on this infighting is too dull.”

“And you’d just watch your close friends die one by one?” Ji Ning pressed.

“So what if they die?” Old Man Yuan remained utterly calm.

Ji Ning understood at once. No doubt many great powers—including his master Subhuti—had already tried to persuade Old Man Yuan. Yet he remained unmoved. Persuasion would not be easy.

“In my homeland, there’s a saying: ‘A golden nest or a silver nest can’t beat your own dog kennel.’” Ji Ning smiled. “Crude, but the principle is simple. The outside world may be grander, with more great powers, more encounters, more techniques and divine abilities in abundance. Even the alien invaders who breached our Three Realms are mere nobodies out there. But—no matter how weak our Three Realms are, it is still our dog kennel. It is our home.”

“If you cannot protect your home…”

“If you cannot protect your brothers…”

“Then what is the point of cultivation?” Ji Ning shook his head.

Old Man Yuan gazed at Ji Ning. “There is some truth to what you say. But to me, climbing higher is what truly matters.”

“Among the mortals who cultivate, some choose to kill their father, mother, wife, and children to illuminate their Dao-heart. If I were a mortal climbing the path of cultivation, I might do the same. Do you understand?”

Ji Ning sighed inwardly.

Killing one’s parents and family to illuminate the Dao-heart—to him, that was already the wrong path. Stripped of all emotion, what difference was there between that and a walking corpse?

“Those whose Daos differ cannot plan together.” Ji Ning raised his cup. “Back then, you gifted me the Heart Sutra. I have no way to repay you, so let me offer this glass of wine.”

“The Sword Immortal Darknorth toasts me—of course I’ll drink.” Old Man Yuan raised his cup as well.

Both drank.

Setting down the cup, Ji Ning looked at Old Man Yuan. The faint edge emanating from him made even Old Man Yuan inwardly alarmed—he could sense the immense threat Ji Ning now posed.

“May I ask, Fellow Daoist Yuan, what is it you came for today?” Ji Ning asked.

“Is it wrong to just have a drink and catch up?” Old Man Yuan laughed.

“Catch up? We’ve caught up. We’ve drunk. Now I still need to go back and simmer some fish soup.” Ji Ning rose and headed for the bow of the boat, reaching for the wooden bucket and fishing hook.

“There is, in fact, something I need of you,” Old Man Yuan said.

Ji Ning stopped and turned around—

At that very moment—

A mysterious, inscrutable ripple instantly invaded Ji Ning’s body, striking toward his soul. The ripple was vast and overwhelming.

“Heartforce.” Ji Ning realized immediately.

That vast, mysterious Heartforce forced its way in. Ji Ning’s own Heartforce could not block it at all; it was completely out of its league.

“Level Five Heartforce! Old Man Yuan has reached Level Five Heartforce, and he’s ambushing me!” Ji Ning was shocked. In the Three Realms, it was always said that only Houyi had attained Level Five Heartforce. But that was merely surface knowledge. Old Man Yuan had always been extremely accomplished in Heartforce; Ji Ning could tell from the Heart Sutra he had gifted him. Now he knew—Old Man Yuan’s Heartforce was actually at the Fifth Level!

The Heartforce invaded!

Ji Ning’s own Heartforce could not block it. The invading Heartforce penetrated toward his soul.

“Heartforce Soul-Lock!” Ji Ning had been maintaining this secret art the entire time.

The Heartforce Soul-Lock was a defensive technique combining Heartforce and the soul. It was like a complex lock securing the soul, making it extremely difficult for external forces to penetrate.

When roaming the primordial chaos, natural illusions and sinister secret arts that targeted the soul were extremely common. Thus, a technique to protect the soul was vital. World God Northrest had left Ji Ning precisely this Heartforce Soul-Lock technique! Ji Ning’s soul, nourished by his divine body at the half-step Elder God level, had become incredibly powerful. The lock formed by level-four Heartforce and the soul combined via the secret art was as solid as a mountain fortress.

“BOOM~~~” The formidable Level Five Heartforce clashed violently with the Heartforce Soul-Lock.

In the outside world—

The surrounding space suddenly went still. The river water hushed, not a ripple in sight, as if frozen. The fish in the wooden bucket on the boat’s bow went motionless one after another.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The wooden boat suddenly exploded. The wooden bucket exploded, the fish inside blasted into pieces… The lake water for dozens of meters around turned instantly to powder.

Heartforce was ethereal, intangible.

But Level Five Heartforce was unimaginably powerful. And yet, Old Man Yuan’s Heartforce had struck an iron board! The Heartforce Soul-Lock technique was so strong that it completely repelled the invasion. The violent clash sent shockwaves rippling into the real world, turning everything within thirty zhang to powder, while the area beyond remained completely unharmed.

“Impossible.” Old Man Yuan revealed a look of shock. His surest strike had failed from the very start.

Ji Ning turned his head, a trace of pain in his eyes.

“Fellow Daoist Yuan, you truly disappoint me.”

His voice echoed in Old Man Yuan’s ears.

SWISH!

A dazzling sword-light descended. Ji Ning had unhesitatingly drawn his divine sword, Ziguangqiong, and executed the most bizarre and unpredictable of the five stances—the Shadowless Stance!

“Go.” A horsetail whisk appeared in Old Man Yuan’s hand. He swept it out in an endless, flowing motion to block the sword-light, while simultaneously retreating.

“You’ve hidden your strength well.”

With just this exchange, Ji Ning realized that Old Man Yuan was absolutely at the leader level.

Outwardly, the old man was said to be “close to leader level,” but that was an ancient assessment. In this clash, he had first revealed Level Five Heartforce, then used a horsetail whisk to block Ji Ning’s sword-light. True, yielding could overcome the rigid, but there was no doubt—Old Man Yuan was now at the leader level.

“Swoosh.” A figure flickered into existence beside Old Man Yuan—a green-haired man in a red robe.

“Lord of All Demons!”

Ji Ning was shocked by the Lord of All Demons’ speed. He had appeared without any warning.

“Don’t even think of fleeing.” Ji Ning thrust out his sword—a streak of lightning, the fastest of all, the Blood Drop Stance, aimed straight at Old Man Yuan. But the green-haired red-robed man simply drifted away. As he flew, the space around him shifted inch by inch. Ji Ning’s sword had already surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Daos, and it was the fastest Blood Drop Stance.

Yet Ji Ning watched helplessly as the speed of his sword could not keep up with the Lord of All Demons’ flying speed.

“Whoosh.”

The Lord of All Demons and Old Man Yuan vanished from Ji Ning’s sight.

…

The All-Demon Realm.

The Lord of All Demons brought Old Man Yuan into the hall. Master Stonerule, Daofather Magic Hand, and the Blackclad Godking were all inside.

“I failed,” Old Man Yuan said, shaking his head. “He has just become a True God. His soul needs enough time to be nourished by his divine body before it grows strong enough. I thought his soul was still weak enough for me to scheme against him and capture him. I wanted to use Ji Ning’s life as a bargaining chip. Who would have thought… ah, I’m getting old.”

“Ji Ning’s momentum is already unstoppable. Dealing with him won’t be easy. In truth, you didn’t need any bargaining chip. I trust you,” the Lord of All Demons said as he looked at Old Man Yuan.