Chapter 873: Chapter 873

The schemes of Lord Red Scale are crude and simple, but they have never failed.

This is because the "Zhong Mountain Fire Essence" is a foolish consciousness, without thought, completely at Red Scale's disposal.

Conversely, this has also fostered a path dependency for Lord Red Scale.

Of course, his idea is not entirely wrong; a supreme god like Lingbao Tianzun, even the Spirit Treasure Sect Master cannot see him at will. Someone of Ma Yi Immortal's status must burn incense and submit a petition, waiting for the Heavenly Venerate's response.

By the time Ma Yi Immortal sends the matter over, he would have already completed his task, benefits in hand. Even if the plot is exposed, he can easily head to the Heavenly Demon Realm and sit on the throne of the [Red Scale Demon Lord].

How could Red Scale have anticipated?

The father and daughter duo he provoked this time were not ordinary folks.

As for Tao Qian, as soon as the scripture was finished reciting, the little Spirit Infant had already cycled through the Innate Marvelous Sound and completed the "Doumu Heart Sutra," and immediately received a response from Doumu Yuanjun.

Now, it appears Tao Lingying has transformed into a kitten Dharma Body, a delicate and cute little tabby cat.

Squinting slightly with an adorable silly face, nodding continuously towards the distant void.

Then she opened her eyes and excitedly shouted to Tao Qian:

"Daddy, I finished reporting."

"I told Grandma that on my way to the Outer Realm to meet the Black Moon Cat Sisters, I encountered a bunch of big bugs secretly capturing the Human Clan from the Mortal World, hiding them in their mouths and between their scales, and as treats once they reached the Outer Realm, gulping them down one by one. When I appeared to stop them, those big bugs wanted to eliminate the witness."

"Thankfully, Spirit Infant also knows how to fight, and that's how I subdued him."

"The rest Grandma already knows, she said she has a disciple under her command [Grandma Nu Chou], also a Mountain and Sea God Demon, who has gone to the Zhong Mountain Secret Realm with Doumu's Talisman, to awaken the Zhong Mountain God and certainly teach that Red-bearded Daoist who falsely accused me a good lesson."

Apparently, in baby Tao Lingying's eyes, tattling is more like a game.

But the outcome is fatal for Lord Red Scale.

Moreover, when Tao Qian sincerely recited the Life Protection Scripture three times, the spiritual response received from the Heavenly Venerate directly determined Lord Red Scale's fate:

"Lord Red Scale's incarnation, together with the human-faced old dragon, using Secret Techniques, crossed mountains and seas to return to the Zhong Mountain Secret Realm, not waiting to leave the Cultivation Daoist Field to find the foolish Fire Essence to sow discord and gain benefits."

"A Daoist Lord-level disciple of Doumu Yuanjun, [Grandma Nu Chou], one of the many Mountain and Sea Gods and Demons, forcibly broke into Zhong Mountain carrying the talisman."

"Among the Mountain and Sea Gods, Grandma Nu Chou is not very strong, merely of the lower ranks."

"However, holding Doumu's Talisman, Zhong Mountain Fire Essence, being Zhu Jiuyin's Divine Consciousness, naturally would not hinder her."

"Allowing her to use the talisman to summon huge Source Qi, forcibly awakening the Zhong Mountain God and explaining the reasons... Just then Lord Red Scale arrived, intending to sow discord, but before he could speak, Zhong Mountain God merely sensed a bit, and all of the vile acts this villain had done were fully exposed."

"Zhong Mountain God, furious, devoured him in one bite."

"An 8,000-year-cultivated Daoist Lord met death so swiftly, even without a chance for reincarnation."

Upon hearing all this, everyone knew the trouble has passed and the calamity was over.

Just then, seeing a grand banquet on Qingping Island, with little Tao Lingying, the adorable little Demon Star present, the Spirit Treasure Ten Thousand Immortals also couldn't be bothered to return to their Cave Mansion to cultivate hard, so they joined in the feast and sang joyously.

The thousands of lucky Mortal Humans from a city named "Yingchuan," after the banquet, were returned home, soon making the entire world aware of their divine encounter, leaving all envious.

This is a later story to be told, for now, let's set it aside.

Yet, Ma Yi Immortal, upon learning of Lord Red Scale's fate, both sighed and said:

"Years ago, I saw Red Scale's true form, a red-scaled serpent capable of swallowing the Sun and Stars. I also witnessed him being enlightened by Zhong Mountain God and taken in as a disciple."

"8,000 years of arduous cultivation, extremely diligent, but unfortunately, he was too impatient, leading him to choose the wrong path."

"His Dao name is [Red Day], presumably following the Red Sun Eternal Day Path, yet the way ahead is filled with powerful ones, not to mention [Golden Crow], the Innate God Demon, followed by Great Sun Demon Buddha, Eternal Day Demon Lord, Red Flame God Monarch, and other Gods, Demons, Buddhas... If any of them harbored ill intentions to counter and devour him, he would only have the option to hide in Zhong Mountain's interior."

"Perhaps it was due to this that he risked everything, attempting to use such despicable means to gradually hollow out his Master's godly body of Bright Source Qi."

"Seeking to become a Tribulation Immortal, how can it be that easy?"

"Indeed, with all these consequences, he couldn't withstand them one bit, dying in an instant, turning thousands of years of diligent cultivation into nothing."

After saying this, Aunt Ma Yi paused.

Then, gazing at Tao Qian as if seeing through something, she spoke again:

"Nephew Tao, your Dao Nightmare is approaching."

"You, Duobao, and I, and all Celestials in this world are different; you are truly unique."

"Duobao in this life cannot attain Dao, destined to reincarnate and try again."

"I am not confident to become a Tribulation Immortal and face [Longevity Star], [Sovereign of Fate], and [Yan Jun]. Therefore, I have been delaying, unwilling to enter the Dao for thousands of years."

"We may procrastinate, we may hide, waiting only for the moment of Ascension."

"But it seems you can't do it. That Dao Nightmare of yours is truly ferocious. If you were to fall to the demon path and gain the Dao, I'm afraid it wouldn't take many years for the Great Abyss to see the rise of a powerful Demon God."

"The first time the Dao Nightmare came, your Blessing helped you dismiss it, and then you received a Divine Treasure to delay it for three years... Now your cultivation has reached the Transformation Realm, and you can't evade it any longer."

"The pursuit of the Dao cannot be interfered with by others. Not even the Sect Master can help with this."

"I'll just give you this one piece of advice: Fear nothing, remain true to your heart."

Tao Qian left Qingping Island, turning toward the direction of Ascending Immortal Island, but he didn't land on the island. Instead, he sent a mental message to his wife, who was still resting warmly in bed.

Afterward, he turned and headed to the neighbor.

Red Sleeve Island, Pan Si Cave Mansion.

He came here to cleanse Aunt Pan Si's heart and soul, aiding her to enter the Ultimate Happiness Realm, and also for his own important matters.

But he was not in a hurry, walking slowly, pondering over Aunt Ma Yi's words from not long ago.

"Though I already knew that Aunt Ma Yi, whether in seniority or cultivation, surpasses Master, I didn't expect her to be this much stronger."

"That unfortunate Lord Red Scale said Aunt Ma Yi outlived him, who knows for how long."

"Although she didn't say it explicitly, she revealed a big secret."

"A struggle on the Dao Path?"

"Could it be the rule of the Great Abyss is that if a cultivator chooses the same 'Dao,' there is a sequence, and they must fight for it, even to the death?"

"Lord Red Scale chose the Red Sun Eternal Day Path, which is somewhat easier, but the path is already filled with strong adversaries that he can't defeat."

"Aunt Ma Yi clearly practices the Dao of Longevity, and ahead stand Longevity Star, Yan Jun, and several other Innate or Acquired Gods and Demons. Aunt Ma Yi thinks she cannot defeat them for now, so she prefers to remain in Ultimate Happiness rather than entering the Dao... If she wishes, she could probably become Ma Yi Daoist any time."

"Which means, if I were to gain the Dao in the future, I would also face this situation, though I don't know which Gods and Demons are ahead of me."

With this thought, Tao Qian sighed.

These are unknowns and need not concern him for now.

He must face the present.

Ma Yi Immortal was right, his Senior Sister Lingji, and marriage to Yunrong, allowed him to safely pass through one Dao Nightmare, and delayed it for three years.

But recently, the Dao Nightmare has struck again.

In recent days, Tao Qian has encountered nightmares almost every night, not exactly the Dao Nightmare, but these are clear signs. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵

For now, he resolves them with the "Taishang Lingbao Red Child Inquiry Divine Needle" and Toad God Tile, but he can't continue to delay.

The Dao Nightmare isn't truly a bad thing.

It manifests because the cultivator desires the Great Dao, giving rise to it.

The fiercer the Dao Nightmare, the closer Tao Qian is to the Great Dao.

"I must eventually journey to the Great Abyss Origin Sea to seek the Dao, better to be prepared in advance."

"Books like the 'Records of Strange Compilations' are invaluable."

"If I have to search through vast Scripture Halls, it would be too time-consuming; fortunately, there's Aunt Pan Si."

Saying this, Tao Qian's figure had already passed through layer upon layer of webs glistening with silver slime.

He reached the depths of the cave mansion and saw a huge soft web.

Upon it, Aunt Pan Si, who had long received his message, was already waiting.

She still wore her long-sleeved ruqun, her lower body remaining the furry spider abdomen.

Blushing, she looked at her slowly approaching nephew, shyly thinking:

"I always practice propriety; I should transform into a proper human form to meet my nephew."

"But my nephew's thoughts aren't proper; he dislikes the human form and the spider body, preferring this half-human, half-spider form of mine."

"It's really embarrassing."

After this thought passed, Aunt Pan Si lifted her head to welcome Tao Qian.

Her face was like peach blossoms, shy and timid, softly calling out: "Nephew...!"

Despite experiencing it countless times over the past three years, Tao Qian still felt his scalp tingling, his body soft, and his soul melting each time.