High above the nine heavens, in the deepest part of the secret realm, lies a sea of lightning that even gods dare not tread. The purplish-black lightning, like raging dragons, twists and collides in the void, exploding with deafening roars. Each bolt is enough to shatter mountains and refine divine souls.
In the center of this sea of lightning stood a figure.
His face was obscured, as if shrouded in a hazy halo that even the rules of heaven and earth could not penetrate. All that could be seen was that he was dressed in white, his robes swaying gently in the thunder and wind, his posture as languid as if he were strolling in a courtyard, the sea of lightning surging beneath his feet, yet not even the soles of his shoes were touched by a speck of electricity.
"Buzz—"
Above the sea of lightning, the void twisted, and a gigantic face formed from clouds and lightning slowly emerged. Its features were blurred, yet it exuded an aura of supreme majesty. It was the "incarnation of the Heavenly Dao" of this world, wielding the rules and judging those who defied fate.
"Who are you?" the giant face spoke, its voice like a thousand thunderclaps, shaking the very void. "Why are you staying in this world? Your aura... does not belong here."
The man in white raised his eyes, his voice as calm as if he were talking about the weather: "Is it any of your business?"
The giant lightning bolt in the sky suddenly contracted its pupils, clearly not expecting anyone to dare to speak to it like that. It remained silent for a moment, then its voice grew even colder: "Do you know that you are protecting a group of rebels?"
"A rebel against fate?" The man in white chuckled, a hint of amusement in his languid tone. "You mean, my disciple?"
He tilted his head slightly, as if he could pierce through the endless void and see a figure struggling: "She wanted to leave this world, so you set up a cage and made things difficult for her at every turn?"
The giant face's voice carried an undeniable authority: "This realm has its own rules! Heaven and earth are a cage, all things are imprisoned. Born here, die here, this is destiny! His attempt to break free of the cage is defying the heavens, and he should be annihilated!"
"Destiny?" The man in white seemed to have heard a joke. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the air. A barely perceptible ripple spread out, and the surrounding violent lightning instantly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed. "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If he wants to leave, just let him leave. Why all the nonsense?"
"Insolence!" the giant face roared. "The rules cannot be broken! Those who defy them must die!"
Before the words were even finished, the giant face in the sky suddenly expanded, transforming into a thundercloud that blotted out the sun. Countless thick, purplish-black lightning bolts coalesced, carrying an aura of "annihilation," and bombarded the man in white relentlessly—
- The first bolt of lightning transformed into a ferocious thunder dragon, opening its massive jaws to bite the man in white;
- The second bolt of lightning condensed into billions of lightning rods, covering the sky and blocking all escape routes;
The third bolt of lightning was actually the "primordial heavenly lightning" of this world. It was grayish-white in color and could annihilate the soul. Even immortals and gods avoided it.
The sea of lightning surged, the sky and earth changed color, as if the entire secret realm was about to collapse in this attack.
However--
"laugh……"
All the lightning bolts, upon approaching within three feet of the man in white, suddenly melted away like ice and snow meeting the sun, without even a spark touching him. The primordial heavenly lightning had clearly touched the hem of his white robe, yet it vanished at the last inch, without even lifting a single fold of fabric.
The man in white didn't even look at the attacks; he simply lowered his head and patted off non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes.
The giant face in the sky panicked completely. It could sense that its opponent hadn't even used the slightest bit of power; with just its aura, the opponent had crushed its full-force attack. This was not an opponent on the same level; it was like an ant trying to shake a mountain—laughable and futile.
"Fellow Daoist!" The voice of the giant face in the sky trembled for the first time, and its features, formed from lightning, loosened. "I was reckless!"
It suppressed its fear and lowered its stance: "Fellow Daoist clearly does not belong to this realm, and must have entered by mistake. As long as you are willing to leave, I can pretend that today's events never happened, and may even open a gate for you to leave!"
The man in white raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why should I go out?"
The giant face in the sky choked, then became enraged, its tone hardening further: "Fellow Daoist, do not push your luck! Although this realm is weak, my true form is on its way! Once my true form arrives and takes control of the origin of heaven and earth, your death will be imminent!"
"Oh?" The man in white became interested, leaning lazily against a still thunder dragon as if listening to a story. "Then bring more people with you."
He paused, then added, "So that we don't run out of men to fight."
"You!" The giant face in the sky was so angry that lightning surged, but it was helpless. It could sense that even a single finger of the person before it was a hundred times stronger than its true form. Continuing the stalemate would only bring humiliation upon itself.
"Hmph! You wait!" The giant face left behind a harsh remark, then transformed into a sky full of thunderclouds and dissipated unwillingly into the void.
The sea of thunder returned to calm. Lin Zhou didn't even look in the direction where the Heavenly Dao had disappeared. His figure flickered slightly and he vanished from the secret realm.
The next moment, he appeared in an ancient sect. In the courtyard paved with bluestone slabs, an old locust tree that would take ten people holding hands to encircle stood quietly, its branches and leaves lush and exuding a faint aura of life.
Lin Zhou walked straight to the rocking chair under the tree and lay down. He picked up a fruit from the table, took a bite, and the sweet and sour juice spread. The confrontation just now seemed to be just an insignificant interlude.
"Snap—"
A crack appeared in the trunk of the old locust tree, revealing a pair of aged eyes. Its voice was like the rubbing of tree bark: "Going out to cause trouble again? That overwhelming power just now almost broke my roots."
Lin Zhou chewed on some fruit and mumbled, "It's nothing, it's just that that old bastard Tiandao tried to stop my disciple, but I shut him down."
"The Heavenly Dao?" The old locust tree's leaves trembled. "You dare to challenge the Heavenly Dao of this world? Aren't you afraid it will really bring reinforcements?"
"Come on then." Lin Zhou yawned, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling warmly on his face. "I'm just worried he won't bring enough men to fight."
Old locust tree: "...You're being way too arrogant!"
It wondered to itself: Just who is this kid? Even the Heavenly Dao can't see his face, and I, having lived for millions of years, still can't fathom his true strength. The seed he casually planted last time has now grown into a demonic tree capable of devouring stars…
Lin Zhou seemed to see through its thoughts, smiled, and offered no explanation. He rocked back and forth in his chair, closed his eyes, the sunlight was perfect, the breeze was gentle—as for the threat from the Heavenly Dao?
Lin Zhou, although he didn't know how strong he was, the cultivation he had been rewarded with over the years, etc., could obliterate the Heavenly Dao with just a thought. With such strength, he was still able to guard a world. It was conceivable that his strength was not that great. So he was not afraid at all. He ate and drank as usual, and would deal with it when it came.
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