The pale golden power of the Heavenly Dao, containing the supreme will of the Heavenly Dao, enveloped Shen Changlin, rendering him completely immobile.

Shen Changlin's vision blurred. Suddenly, he saw what appeared to be a black dot rapidly approaching in the boundless void, yet it seemed only he could see it. The next moment—

The black dot rapidly enlarged; it was a black, heavy chain that instantly locked Shen Changlin's throat.

The black mist in his mind suddenly spread out, but it did not stop the chains of heaven. Instead, it helped to suppress them further. Then, the invisible chains disappeared.

Shen Changlin felt his body suddenly become heavy, as if some burden had been added out of nowhere, and his soul was suppressed.

After the power of the Heavenly Dao disappears—

The jade-faced scholar laughed loudly: "Hahaha, good, very good! As long as your Myriad Paths Sect doesn't have such a person, why would we have fought to this point? Everyone, retreat!"

"You think you can come and go as you please? Do you think my Myriad Paths Sect is a place where you can do whatever you want?!"

Zhan Hongyuan's face was ashen, and his voice boomed.

Just as the Jade-Faced Scholar was about to leave with the elders, Zhan Hongyuan threw a punch, shattering the space and Qingming inch by inch. The attacking elders didn't even have time to cry out before they were completely reduced to ashes, and the Jade-Faced Scholar was severely injured and sent flying backward.

He barely had the strength left, so he tore through the void and quickly left.

The entire floating island fell silent.

Zhan Hongyuan's expression was quite unpleasant. He flashed back to the main seat in the pavilion and said, "Continue."

Everyone could tell he was in a bad mood, and no one dared to speak.

Ruan Qing'an sheathed his long sword and returned to his empty seat, but his leaden eyes subtly swept over Zhan Hongyuan.

037: [I have a feeling something's not right, oh my god...]

"Given the difference between the Mahayana stage and the Integration stage, Zhan Hongyuan should have been able to kill them all the moment they appeared. How did things escalate to this point, with Zhan Hongyuan only making a move after being thoroughly enraged?"

Ruan Qing'an's expression was somewhat grim: "Most importantly, if Zhan Hongyuan hadn't intervened, how could Shen Changlin have gotten into trouble?"

He could be suppressed the moment that beautiful woman offered her sacrifice.

037: [Does he want to harm the male lead?]

"It doesn't seem like it. Zhan Hongyuan is clearly genuinely angry about this, but why isn't he taking action..."

Ruan Qing'an felt a slight unease, finding the situation somewhat unfathomable.

At this moment, the floating island was deathly silent. Finally, an elder spoke up: "Sect Master, under such a secret technique, which consumes everything of a Void Refinement Realm expert and sacrifices the blood of hundreds of millions of people, what kind of damage will it cause to the innate Dao Body?"

"..."

Zhan Hongyuan didn't speak, but looked at Shen Changlin.

The boy remained upright, seemingly without any apparent problem, his face blank and fearful. But Shen Changlin was inwardly cursing the black mist in his mind; he wished he could pull it out and beat it up!

Damn it, not only do they refuse to help, but they're also colluding with the enemy?!

Even though Zhan Hongyuan didn't say anything, Shen Changlin had already noticed the abnormality in his body. Although the Heavenly Chains had disappeared, they were only invisible and had not truly vanished.

Shen Changlin could clearly sense that something was locked up.

—It is his innate Daoist physique.

Perhaps... perhaps it wasn't damaged, but rather suppressed. At the moment his innate Dao Body was awakened, Shen Changlin could feel its power, and it seemed... he wasn't truly damaged.

It seems that Heaven has left him a glimmer of hope.

But—no one knows, and Shen Changlin dares not guarantee it.

After a deathly silence, Zhan Hongyuan finally said, "The innate Dao body is about communicating with the spiritual power of heaven and earth through the body. The body itself is the innate Dao body. Whether it is the Dao of the knife, the Dao of the sword, the Dao of Yin and Yang... all of them are part of the Dao body. One is the ancestor of all Daos. It is said that a small world is generated inside, and it is common to transform into the Dao of Heaven."

"But—once damaged and losing its advantage, the innate Dao body becomes a burden, turning one into mediocrity, and will be rejected by the Heavenly Dao."

"In this life... I can hardly make any progress."

When Zhan Hongyuan finished speaking, the floating island was completely silent. Even the elders had bitter expressions on their faces. In a short period of time, they had witnessed the birth of a genius who could crush an era, and they had also witnessed the complete annihilation of that genius.

Finally, Zhan Hongyuan continued, "Alright, let's continue the process of joining the sect. Who among you wishes to accept Shen Changlin as a disciple?"

None of the elders who had been scrambling to pull people away spoke up.

A deathly silence spread through the pavilion.

Shen Changlin stood still, his gaze sweeping over the elders in the pavilion. They all looked somewhat embarrassed, but Ruan Qing'an remained as aloof as the bright moon, sitting cross-legged with a long sword on his lap, his face noble and proud.

His gaze paused for a moment, then he lowered his head.

I thought... Oh well, never mind.

Shen Changlin closed his eyes and stopped thinking about it. Even he himself didn't know that things had changed so quickly.

On the main seat, Zhan Hongyuan suddenly said in a deep voice: "Shen Changlin, the damage to your innate Dao body is the fault of my Wandao Sect. I will do my best to find a way to repair your innate Dao body, but—it will probably take thousands of years."

"The Myriad Paths Sect will provide you with the resources you deserve until you advance to the Nascent Soul stage. However, your innate Dao body is damaged, and you may never reach the Golden Core stage in your lifetime. Human effort is insufficient to achieve this."

"I allow you to choose a peak to join, and no elder may refuse. You choose for yourself. Is that acceptable?"

For a moment, the elders all subconsciously looked at Zhan Hongyuan.

But Zhan Hongyuan was clearly determined and was in a fit of anger, so he wouldn't allow anyone to contradict him.

Shen Changlin couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

How could he not feel the resistance from these elders? The one he most wanted to become a disciple of Ruan Qing'an was, but—in his current state, let alone catching up with her, it would be good enough if he didn't become a burden to her or annoy her.

Shen Changlin guessed that the innate Dao Body was just suppressed by the Heavenly Chains, but he couldn't be sure and had no evidence, so why force Ruan Qing'an to become his master and ruin their relationship for nothing?

"Reporting to the Sect Master, this disciple will remain an outer disciple—"

"I want it."

Just as Shen Changlin uttered his refusal, a cold voice suddenly rang out, devoid of any emotion.

Shen Changlin was slightly taken aback, and suddenly looked up.

She remained aloof, as if it were just a casual remark, but little did she know, for the young man, it was already a salvation. She was the one who stood in his way twice, she was the one who brought him back, and even now, when no one else was willing to take on his mess—

It was her too...

【Affection Level: 40】

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