Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

"So, such a place exists; no wonder so many of us at the Unity Realm Stage have been searching within Diandao Mountain for so long without finding that Zhang Jing."

Zhu Dayou forcefully suppressed the excitement rising in his heart and exclaimed. His face betrayed no sign of strangeness, as if he truly didn't know that the person before him was indeed Zhang Jing.

Afterward.

To make the other party lead the way with even greater dedication, he pretended to ponder and then, biting his teeth, seemingly made a difficult decision.

"In that case, dear Dao friend, please lead the way. If we do find that Zhang Jing, then all the gains from this venture, including the Opening God Seal, shall be shared fifty-fifty between us."

"Brother—"

Standing to the side, Zhu Hongxia hesitated to speak, clearly dissatisfied with Zhu Dayou's proposed arrangement.

"Little sister, listen to me this time. Dao friend Li's contributions are tremendous. If there's a find this time, he deserves to share half of it."

"This... then let's follow elder brother's decision."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Hongxia wavered for a moment, then nodded in agreement, her pretty face unconsciously revealing a trace of visible reluctance.

"Then Li must thank the two Dao friends, and follow me now."

Zhang Jing smiled and agreed, then turned and took a different direction, taking the lead and walking ahead with his pace quickening as if he couldn't wait.

And just as he turned around.

"Such excellent acting!" All three thought to themselves in unison.

Glancing briefly at the figure in front of him, Zhu Dayou's eyes flickered with a hint of admiration.

"Seamless, without a single flaw! Were it not for my keen intelligence, who could imagine that this man's true identity is the very Zhang Jing we've all been desperately searching for?"

Amid these thoughts.

"Brother, why do you think Zhang Jing suddenly decided to lead us to that special realm? Could it be purely to evade the pursuit of other Unity Realm beings?"

Zhu Hongxia transmitted with her Divine Sense.

She always felt that this Zhang Jing had other plans in mind.

"Who cares? We are all at the Unity Realm Stage, and with two against one, the advantage is ours. Besides, we also have the Eight Directions Golden Light Array we purchased at the market, he can't stir up any trouble."

Zhu Dayou was extremely confident, even vaguely envisioning the scene of obtaining the Opening God Seal.

"Indeed."

Hearing this, Zhu Hongxia's underlying worries gradually faded.

Perhaps she really was overthinking it.

...

...

Days passed as they walked.

Under Zhang Jing's lead, the three traversed over ten thousand li, encountering many Unity Realm beings along the way. Yet, with the powerful cover provided by the Zhu siblings, they didn't meet any obstacles.

Eventually, the three arrived at a dark gorge thousands of zhang deep and slowly came to a stop.

"Dao friend, is this the place you were talking about?"

Zhu Dayou stared at the dead-end ahead and couldn't help but ask.

He had thought it to be some extraordinary realm, but this was it? Even hard for ordinary people to find...

However, in the front.

Zhang Jing paid no heed to the Zhu siblings behind him, instead silently surveying the familiar surroundings and meticulously checking for signs of others.

After a few moments.

He let out a sigh of relief, the tension in his heart gradually relaxing.

It was temporarily safe.

Next was to—

Zhang Jing turned back, first with a slight smile, then he reminded them in a serious tone, "Please follow closely behind me and do not take a wrong step."

With that said.

Zhang Jing quickly moved to a familiar spot marked nearby, paused for a few breaths, and then walked straight ahead for a certain distance.

Exactly nine zhang, nine feet, and nine inches!

Following behind him.

Zhu Dayou and his sister exchanged glances; although they didn't understand the mystery behind Zhang Jing's words, they dared not disobey and did as instructed.

One zhang!

Two zhang!

...

Nine zhang!

Afterward, they imitated the action and suddenly stepped back.

In an instant, in the eyes of Zhu Dayou and his sister, the once ordinary gorge began to change rapidly.

Mist surged, divine lights filled the sky.

In a moment, the world turned upside down, turning the entire gorge into a massive bowl inverted above their heads.

The ground beneath their feet became as clear as water, reflecting an upside-down realm shrouded in fairy mists.

Treasure light filled the air, with vague glimpses of opportunity.

This was—

Zhu Dayou looked around in stunned silence. He tried to take a step forward and ripples immediately spread out from where his foot touched the ground.

"This is that special realm I mentioned, likely formed by the special rules of Diandao Mountain."

Zhang Jing said with a smile, his figure quickly descending.

"Wait for us, Dao friend!"

Seeing this, Zhu Dayou and his sister quickly called out and followed, controlling their bodies to sink into the water.

Their expressions were as if they feared Zhang Jing would run away.

...

...

Back at the same spot.

Shortly after the figures of Zhang Jing and the others disappeared, a gentle footstep sound suddenly broke the silence of the quiet gorge.

Ripples spread out in the void, and the small figure covered by a black-feathered cloak stealthily appeared.

He took off his hood to reveal an aged face.

The old man gazed eagerly at the spot where Zhang Jing had vanished, chuckling to himself:

"Heh heh, I knew there was something fishy about the way those three were rushing. There had to be a reason."

...

...

On the other side.

Behind Zhang Jing.

"What a treasure trove indeed."

Zhu Dayou's gaze incessantly swept the surroundings as he muttered to himself with an unmistakable fervor in his voice.

Or rather, he no longer intended to continue hiding it.

The dazzling treasure light around him nearly blinded his eyes.

Zhu Hongxia was not faring much better. She could be seen vigorously sniffing, greedily inhaling the enticing fragrance emanating from the precious natural materials.

Excitement filled her eyes.

Then, as if recalling something, the siblings' gazes gradually shifted forward, eventually resting on Zhang Jing.

Zhu Dayou spoke with a smile that was not a smile,

"To be able to find such a treasure land, Fellow Daoist, you truly have vast divine skills. No wonder so many cultivators at the Unity Realm Stage couldn't locate any trace of you. Isn't that right, Zhang Jing?"

He directly revealed Zhang Jing's identity.

As he spoke, Zhu Dayou's eyes were firmly fixed on Zhang Jing's back, with an unconscious flash of anticipation crossing his face.

He was eager to see, now that the identity had been exposed, what expression would this deeply concealed friend Zhang Jing have?

"Fear, or perhaps panic?"

He curiously speculated.

Ahead, within the sight of Zhu Dayou and his sister, Zhang Jing slowly turned around.

Contrary to their expectations, what entered their view was an expression of extreme calm, so serene it was almost frightening.

"I know,"

Zhang Jing answered indifferently.

"What does he mean? Does this guy know that we guessed his identity long ago?"

Facing Zhang Jing's glare, as if looking at a dead person, the expressions of Zhu Dayou and his sister stiffened slightly, vaguely feeling that the situation was slipping out of control.

However, the pair quickly reassured themselves with the thought of the Array they had prepared in advance.

So what if he discovered it? The advantage was still theirs!

Silence fell for an instant.

Zhu Dayou stared straight at Zhang Jing and involuntarily licked his chapped lips, speaking in a negotiating tone,

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Jing, in consideration of your previous life-saving grace, if you just hand over the Opening God Seal and Nine Space Weak Water, we will let you leave. How about it?"

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist, since ancient times treasures belong to those with virtue. You better hand them over. It really is not in Hongxia's heart to kill you,"

Zhu Hongxia followed with persuasion, adopting a compassionate demeanor.

Of course, their words were merely a temporary expedient; they truly had no intention of letting Zhang Jing go.

After all, the Opening God Seal was of utmost importance; only a dead person could truly put their minds at ease.

Across from them.

Listening to their back-and-forth, Zhang Jing couldn't help but chuckle and asked blandly, "Interesting, so you really think you have me completely within your grasp?"

"Haha, of course. Since we dared follow here, we are fully confident,"

Zhu Dayou spoke with a sneer. Immediately after, he shouted loudly, "Little sister, do it now!"

As his words fell.

The siblings, as if they had practiced hundreds of times, swiftly formed Dharma Seals with their hands. Vast mana fluctuations erupted from within them, hinting at a_sign of fusion.

The next moment.

Four beams of light shot out from behind both Zhu Dayou and Zhu Hongxia, and with lightning speed, they descended around Zhang Jing.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

Accompanied by a continuous tremor of Dao tones, eight golden divine chains rapidly rose from the ground, interlocking with each other, weaving into a screen of gold that sealed the void.

Endless sword lights appeared within the golden tomb, engulfing Zhang Jing's form like a tide.

"This is the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array specially prepared for you, Fellow Daoist. We invite you to experience it!"

Seeing this, Zhu Dayou couldn't help but shout triumphantly.

In his heart, he had already sentenced Zhang Jing to death. Let alone relying on the strength Zhang Jing had previously shown, even if he were twice or thrice as powerful, he certainly couldn't escape the killing power of the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array.

"Who would have thought it would go so smoothly,"

Zhu Hongxia murmured as she watched the figure inside the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array being submerged by the golden light, feeling somewhat melancholic for a moment.

The whole process was just too smooth, so smooth that it seemed unreal.

And then, what a pity for Fellow Daoist Li.

"Haha, that's natural! To prepare for this moment, we siblings spent a good few months,"

Zhu Dayou laughed heartily as he spoke.

But the laughter had not yet fully died away.

Crack! Crack!

A faint sound, barely discernible, started tinkling beside their ears, instantly drawing the attention of Zhu Dayou and his sister.

This noise... was it the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array?!

They were shocked, and immediately turned to look, soon their faces simultaneously revealed an expression as if they had seen a ghost.

In their line of sight.

Somehow, a five-colored divine light had emerged within the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array. As soon as this divine light appeared, it seemed like a roaming dragon, rampaging through the Array space.

Wherever it went, the sharp golden sword lights were extinguished on contact.

In just a moment, the seemingly impregnable Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array shattered with a crash.

The sky full of golden light gradually dissipated.

A figure holding a five-colored treasure flag gradually came into the view of Zhu Dayou and his sister.

"It... it broke, the Eight Trigrams Golden Light Array was so easily shattered?! Damn it, it must be that swindler!"

Zhu Dayou stared dumbfoundedly at the dissipating golden light, his face full of disbelief.

A sense of unwillingness surged from the bottom of his heart.

It was so close, just a little bit! If it weren't for that swindler, by now they might have already had the Opening God Seal in hand.

However, as Zhang Jing's figure became clearer,

Zhu Dayou seemed to finally realize the predicament he was currently in, and a chill ran through his heart.