Chapter 49: The Dao Lord's Brother

After killing Black Lotus God-Emperor, the old man in tattered robes waved his hand and collected the treasures left behind by Black Lotus God-Emperor. He also grabbed the huge crystalline curved blade and examined it carefully, muttering, 'Hmm, this Eternal Divine Weapon is not bad.' Then, under the gaze of the many cultivators around, he put it away.

This old man in tattered robes collected treasures with an open and aboveboard manner.

"Too powerful."

"Killing Black Lotus God-Emperor was like crushing an insect."

"Didn't you hear? He even wants to kill that Seven Sovereigns Dao Lord." The many cultivators of the Wuyan Star lineage trembled inwardly. Life-and-death Dao Lords were distant to them, but that didn't stop their gratitude and admiration for this old man in tattered robes, whom they had met for the first time. They all thought that if they could one day reach such a level, it would be worth it.

Isn't the path of cultivation about seeing more scenery and experiencing more? Having more powerful techniques and divine abilities?

"Let's go down." Wuyan Star Lord transmitted.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Thousands of figures flew down from the sky. With no obstacles now, they moved quickly and soon landed on the bare, building-less huge nine-petal black lotus. Originally, this nine-petal black lotus was a city, but after the artifact was activated, some buildings were taken away, while others turned into dust.

"Greetings, Senior." Wuyan Star Lord stepped forward respectfully, "Thank you for saving our lives."

"Thank you for saving our lives." The thousands of cultivators all said respectfully.

Meanwhile, the remaining Ancestor Gods and World-level cultivators on Black Lotus God-Emperor's side were anxious and fearful. They dared not flee, nor step forward to speak, fearing that the old man in tattered robes might give them a finger flick... which would mean their complete annihilation.

"Senior." The embroidered white-robed man gritted his teeth and stepped forward, saying respectfully, "We were innocent in this matter. Wuyan Star Lord came for revenge to kill Feixiao Chaos Immortal... Feixiao is already dead. We were originally at a disadvantage, and only the God-Emperor, with his overwhelming power, sought to annihilate the Wuyan Star lineage. But this has nothing to do with us; we have been standing by without involvement."

"Yes, yes, yes. Even if we wanted to get involved, we lack the strength."

"Please show mercy, Senior."

The remaining four World-level cultivators and a group of Ancestor Gods were uneasy.

The old man in tattered robes waved his hand and said, "Go, go, all of you, leave."

The remaining cultivators on Black Lotus God-Emperor's side were first stunned, then overjoyed.

"Thank you, Senior."

First, they bowed respectfully, then whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, they all immediately began to fly away. Wuyan Star Lord dared not stop them, and even the starlight originally released by Wuyan Star was withdrawn. After all, this 'Dao Lord' senior had let those cultivators go; how could he dare to obstruct?

...

After waving away the remaining remnants, the old man in tattered robes smiled as he looked at the front of the Wuyan Star lineage.

"He's looking at us."

"Staring at us."

"Still smiling."

"So what if he smiles? Wasn't this Dao Lord smiling before, and he still killed Black Lotus God Emperor with a finger?"

"What kind of talk is that? This Dao Lord said earlier that he's on our side."

"No one knows his origins. He might be some great figure from the Wuyan Star lineage who drifted away long ago and broke through to become a Dao Lord." Those present muttered to themselves, but they all knew that it was extremely difficult for a World-level cultivator to step into the Dao Lord realm. How many World-level cultivators had the Wuyan Star lineage produced from ancient times to the present?

To produce a Dao Lord? Unless one truly had incredible luck.

...

The old man in tattered robes walked over.

Wuyan Star Master and the others all bowed respectfully, while secretly hoping to learn the identity of the old man in tattered robes.

"Hmm." The old man in tattered robes glanced at them, but his gaze finally fell on Ji Ning, who was standing to the side.

"The Wuyan Star lineage?" The old man in tattered robes nodded slightly, then turned to Wuyan Star Master and said, "Thank you for taking care of my little brother."

"Little brother?" Wuyan Star Master and the others were all stunned.

Ji Ning was also taken aback.

Brother?

The old man in tattered robes winked at Ji Ning and transmitted, "What's your name, and who gave you the summoning token?"

Ji Ning immediately understood.

Summoning token?

The summoning token of the Heavenly Cang Palace? It was the token left by the World God Beixiu before his death. Formal members of the Heavenly Cang Palace only had one chance to summon someone in their lifetime. Because with the summoning token, one could enter the Heavenly Cang Palace directly without undergoing trials. Thus, formal members of the Heavenly Cang Palace were even less willing to give away their summoning tokens. Their selection criteria were even more stringent, and some never gave away their tokens in their entire lives.

"My Dao name is Beiming, and my original name is Ji Ning. This summoning token was given to me by the World God Beixiu," Ji Ning transmitted.

"Beixiu?" The old man in tattered robes was startled, and his expression changed. "Do you know how he died?" As soon as Beixiu died, the Heavenly Cang Palace learned of it. They had investigated the cause of death but found nothing.

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

"We'll talk more later. Also, you shouldn't stay on Wuyan Star. Come back with me to the Heavenly Cang Palace," said the old man in tattered robes. "Our Heavenly Cang Palace is far better than this place."

"Yes." Ji Ning responded.

The oath he had sworn was quite lenient to begin with, and Ji Ning had always intended to go to the Heavenly Cang Palace within a chaos cycle. Moreover, seeing this old man in tattered robes—who could instantly recognize that he possessed the summoning token—he was likely a member of the Heavenly Cang Palace, perhaps even among its highest echelons. With such a powerful figure, only a fool would refuse to join.

The message left by the World God Northrest had also said that countless cultivators dreamed of entering the Heavenly Cang Palace.

...

"Northming is the senior's...?" The Wuyan Star Lord and the others were all stunned.

"He is my brother," the old man in tattered robes nodded. "I'm taking him back. You won't stop me, will you?"

"Of course not." The Wuyan Star Lord quickly nodded. "Northming hasn't been with us on Wuyan Star for long. When he joined, he was already extremely powerful, and the life oath he swore was very lenient. He is free to leave."

The other World-level cultivators present, including Void Immortal Xu, all looked at Ji Ning with envy.

Heavens.

To be called a brother by a Daolord of Life and Death? Who wouldn't want that? Even being a follower would be a dream. But Daolords had high standards; not everyone could easily become their disciple.

"There is one matter," the Wuyan Star Lord gritted his teeth. "I wish to ask the senior for help." Though he feared angering the Daolord, he had to speak.

"What is it?" The old man in tattered robes smiled amiably.

"Zichen." The Blackmist World God sent a frantic mental message, afraid that the Wuyan Star Lord would provoke the senior.

The Wuyan Star Lord bowed respectfully and said, "My second uncle used a flawed divine ability, and his entire body has begun to turn to rock... It's irreversible. I beg the senior to save my second uncle's life."

"Oh?"

The old man in tattered robes walked over to the Blackmist World God. "So he's your second uncle? Indeed, his entire body is turning to stone... Don't resist. Let me take a look."

With that, the old man reached out and placed his hand on the Blackmist World God's shoulder, carefully sensing.

"Hmm, what divine ability is this? It's quite peculiar—even the soul and truesoul are turning to rock... At this rate, he'll become a complete stone statue," the old man muttered as he sensed. "But this ability is indeed powerful, allowing divine power to erupt with astonishing force. The creator of this ability is truly remarkable."

"Unfortunately, you used a flawed version. The soul and truesoul have already turned to rock, and it's irreversible. Even if you obtained the complete ability now, it would be too late," the old man sighed. "His soul and truesoul are constantly transforming. Once they lose all life characteristics, he'll be nothing but a rock."

"No way?" The Wuyan Star Lord's face showed anxiety.

"He doesn't have much time left—less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea," the old man shook his head.

"Second uncle." The Wuyan Star Lord grasped the Blackmist World God's hand, his eyes reddening.

"Zichen, don't grieve. Many of our Wuyan Star lineage's predecessors, after using the flawed fourth-stage ability, died in despair..." The Blackmist World God looked at the Wuyan Star Lord as if looking at his own child. "But right now, I'm very happy because you're alive. I've lived long enough; eternity is hard to come by."

"Mm." The Wuyan Star Lord nodded, but could not hide his pain.

Gradually, the gray-white on the Blackmist World God's surface grew denser. Where flesh could once be seen, his aura now dimmed, yet a smile remained on his face.

Finally...

His aura was completely extinguished.

The Blackmist World God had turned into a statue, his eyes still gentle, as if looking at a child.

"Second uncle." The Wuyan Star Lord trembled with grief.

"Brother Blackmist." Void Immortal Xu and the others sighed and bowed slightly.

Ji Ning also bowed respectfully. He felt gratitude toward the Blackmist World God, who had treated him best on Wuyan Star, even diligently guiding him in swordsmanship. Though the Blackmist World God's sword realm was not the highest, he had been sincere, even letting Ji Ning study the sword techniques he had comprehended.

Thump, thump, thump. The Wuyan Star Lord knelt and kowtowed solemnly, tears falling to the ground.

The statue still gazed forward with a gentle expression.

"Let's go, let's go. I hate seeing things like this," the old man in tattered robes shook his head and sighed. "Helpless. When the truesoul turns to rock, there's nothing I can do. Ji Ning, let's go."

"Mm." Ji Ning nodded.

"Everyone..." Ji Ning looked at the surrounding World-level cultivators and Ancestral Immortals.

They all nodded.

At this moment, the Star Lord was kneeling, so it was not convenient for them to say much to Ji Ning; a look was enough.

"Let's go." The old man in tattered robes and Ji Ning walked side by side, then instantly flew into the sky, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Before flying away, Ji Ning looked back.

He saw the Wuyan Star Lord still kneeling, and the statue of the Blackmist World God still smiling gently.

"Wuyan..." Ji Ning knew that this place, where he had begun his journey in the Da Mo Domain, he would never forget.