Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

Jiang Shicheng said, "Indeed. Where would a flood dragon come from?"

Fangmian Taoist’s expression shifted. He asked, "Junior brother, are you suggesting the Dragon Image Sect?"

Jiang Shicheng chuckled. "Besides the Dragon Image Sect, where else in the Celestial Waterfall Realm are there flood dragons?"

Fangmian Taoist mused, "So the True Form Temple has gained the support of the Dragon Image Sect. Could this be a move to suppress the Divine Flow Sect?"

Jiang Shicheng said leisurely, "If my guess is correct, then that must be it. After all, the Divine Flow Sect has become a thorn in the Dragon Image Sect’s side. The Dragon Image Sect would never allow the Divine Flow Sect to grow unchecked."

Fangmian Taoist sighed heavily. "But with the Dragon Image Sect backing the True Form Temple, it’s no longer a target the Moyun Sect can scheme against."

But Jiang Shicheng said, "Senior brother, you are mistaken. Now that we know the Dragon Image Sect is behind the True Form Temple, do you think the Divine Flow Sect will just sit back and watch?"

Fangmian Taoist’s brows shot up. He snapped, "Junior brother, watch your words!"

Jiang Shicheng said dismissively, "Sect Leader, there’s no need to be so overly cautious. The Dragon Image Sect’s current situation is no secret. If they were truly as glorious as they once were, how could they be unable to deal with the Divine Flow Sect? In my opinion, after the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly, the title of one of the Five Domains Great Sects might no longer belong to the Dragon Image Sect, but rather..."

Fangmian Taoist cut in with a stern shout, "Junior Brother Jiang!"

Jiang Shicheng pursed his lips nonchalantly. Seeing that he had fallen silent, Fangmian Taoist slowly said, "I know what you mean, but no matter what, the Dragon Image Sect is still one of the Five Domains Great Sects. It is a legacy sect that was once presided over by a Master Dongt. Its foundations remain."

"Besides, all of the Five Domains Great Sects were founded by an Earth Immortal Ancestor Grandmaster. There is a bond of shared heritage between them. Although the Dragon Image Sect has weakened, the other four sects might not stand by and watch the Divine Flow Sect rise to take its place."

Hearing this, Jiang Shicheng retorted, "The Five Domains Great Sects have been separate for so long. What bond of shared heritage? I don’t buy it. Besides, without the backing of another great sect, how could Venerable Chu River of the Divine Flow Sect have cultivated to the Nascent Soul Third Layer? On what grounds could the Divine Flow Sect swallow up the Land of Three States and openly oppose the Dragon Image Sect?"

Fangmian Taoist didn’t argue. With a flick of his duster, he said calmly, "The intricacies of this matter are beyond our knowledge. In short, now that the True Form Temple has the Dragon Image Sect’s support, our Moyun Sect absolutely cannot openly move against them."

Jiang Shicheng looked a little dejected. He cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, I will heed the Sect Leader’s teachings."

Fangmian Taoist nodded, then suddenly changed the subject. "However, there is no harm in showing a bit of goodwill toward the Divine Flow Sect."

Jiang Shicheng’s eyes lit up. "Senior brother, you mean...?"

Fangmian Taoist smiled. "Isn’t Venerable Chu River’s youngest son, Young Master Chu Wei, the Chief Steward in Fenglan Province? Send him a letter informing him that the True Form Temple has a flood dragon making it rain. Let’s see how the Divine Flow Sect responds."

Jiang Shicheng clapped his hands. "I will see to it at once."

Fangmian Taoist nodded. "Go. Remember to be discreet."

—

The story returns to Xuzhuang. Days earlier, after leaving the True Form Temple, he had traveled at lightning speed, leaving Yunlan Province in less than two hours.

To the west of Yunlan Province lies the Dragon Image Domain, the center of the Celestial Waterfall Realm and one of the Five Domains. To the north is Fenglan Province, to the south is Canglan Province, and to the east is a boundless, scorched land.

Xuzhuang traveled southeast. After leaving Fenglan Province, he plunged headfirst into the scorched land, following the direction indicated by the Lesser Tracing Technique. By nightfall, he had already ventured tens of thousands of li deep into the wasteland. Along the way, he passed several oasis-like prefectures, but he still hadn’t found the source of the aura he was tracking.

Xuzhuang grew puzzled. ’Why would Meng Fusheng venture so deep into the scorched land, and where exactly did he go?’

Of course, though Xuzhuang was pondering this, he didn’t stop his Flying Escape. The Lesser Tracing Technique in his hand seemed to continuously gather the residual aura from the void, its indicator wavering constantly but never deviating from the southeast.

The Lesser Tracing Technique was considered a Superior Dao Skill of the Tai Su Orthodox Sect for a reason. Even after six years and across tens of thousands of li, it could still guide Xuzhuang’s search. Another moon set and sun rose. In this Earth Realm, nearly devoid of moisture and with no clouds in the sky, daylight illuminated the vast land. Suddenly, the aura in Xuzhuang’s hand shifted, pointing due south.

Instead of being alarmed, Xuzhuang was delighted. ’The aura’s direction had been wavering unsteadily, but now it has suddenly and firmly shifted south. This must mean I’m getting close to the source.’

Xuzhuang immediately changed course, heading straight south. Before long, a golden desert came into view.

Seeing that the aura’s direction remained steady, Xuzhuang didn’t hesitate and flew directly into the desert. However, not long after he entered this region, the aura in his hand began to dart about erratically like a headless fly—east one moment, west the next.

Xuzhuang frowned. He urged his Escape Technique forward, flying straight across the desert. Sure enough, the Lesser Tracing Technique’s indicator suddenly swung back, pointing directly into the desert he had just left.

Showing no surprise, Xuzhuang turned back and circled above the desert. He found that the golden desert was only about ten li wide. As soon as he left its boundaries, the Lesser Tracing Technique would point back toward it, only to become chaotic once he was inside.

"’Nephew Meng is in this desert?’" Xuzhuang stood suspended in mid-air, lightly pinching the chaotic wisp of aura in his hand as his gaze swept over every inch of the desert below. ’This desert doesn’t seem to have anything unusual about it. Could it really trap a Nascent Soul Cultivator?’

Xuzhuang suddenly flicked a finger, sending a bolt of energy toward the desert. Yet, not even a ripple of sand was kicked up; it remained completely unmoved.

Xuzhuang’s expression changed in an instant. His Spiritual Sense swept through the sand again. "This is..."

Xuzhuang narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment. Suddenly, with a shake of his sleeves, he descended, formed the hand seal for the Five Elements Escape Skill’s Magic Formula, and plunged toward the desert. There was no flash of spiritual light, nor did he burrow into the sand. Xuzhuang simply vanished into thin air above the desert.

At that moment, Xuzhuang felt a flash before his eyes, as if he had passed through some kind of boundary. He found himself in a small, empty space. There was no sun or sky above, no earth below. Looking into the distance, he saw layer upon layer of hazy colors, as if countless films of foam were obscuring his vision.

Xuzhuang’s expression grew solemn. He activated his Escape Technique and, in an instant, arrived before one of the thin ’films of foam’. He crashed through it and entered another space, only to find the same scenery above, below, and all around him.

Unfazed, Xuzhuang continued to speed onward, breaking through a hundred such spaces in just a few moments.

"’It’s just as I thought. But I can’t go any deeper.’" Xuzhuang sighed softly. Those hazy layers weren’t foam but barriers between individual spaces. And each of these spaces... was the golden desert itself. This was a case of "hiding Mount Sumeru in a grain of sand." Every single grain of sand was one of these empty spaces. For a ten-li desert, the number was simply unimaginable!

Xuzhuang released his Spiritual Sense to perceive his surroundings carefully. After about half a quarter-hour, he finally formed a Magic Formula, moved a few dozen feet, and teleported away, reappearing back in the desert.

This time, Xuzhuang was not in the air. Looking around, he could only see rolling sand dunes. A look of helplessness appeared on his face.

’This ten-li desert, these countless ’Gravel Worlds’... I wonder where they came from?’

’To think Meng Fusheng would be trapped in a place like this. But which ’grain of sand’ is he in?’ Xuzhuang feared it would be incredibly difficult for him to find any trace of the man.

Although Xuzhuang was highly skilled and daring, relying on his Five Elements Escape Skill to venture into the sand, he didn’t dare go too deep. If he lost his way, Meng Fusheng wouldn’t be the only one who went missing.

"’Forget it. Since I’ve already made it this far, I have to at least do everything I can.’" After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang decided to explore the sand-grain spaces as much as he was able within his limits.

Having made up his mind, Xuzhuang wasted no more time. He moved to a different spot, formed the Magic Formula, and disappeared into the grains of sand once more.

The sun rose and set, again and again. Time flowed like water; a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Xuzhuang reappeared in the desert once more and let out a long breath. Over the past month, he had traversed an uncountable number of these sand-grain spaces, all of them empty. This meaningless, endless repetition had left him feeling a little disappointed, even if he hadn’t grown impatient.

Unfortunately, he still hadn’t found the slightest trace of Meng Fusheng. In truth, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. Even if Meng Fusheng didn’t have a technique like the Five Elements Escape Skill, with his Nascent Soul cultivation, he wouldn’t have been trapped in the surface layers of these sand-grain spaces.

Meanwhile, Xuzhuang didn’t dare venture deep into the sand-grain spaces to investigate. From this perspective, his month-long search seemed to have been in vain.

It had now been over a month since Xuzhuang had left the True Form Temple. Without him there to oversee things, he had no idea what the situation at the Daoist Temple was like. Expending so much effort here for no result left him feeling a bit weary.

Xuzhuang looked up at the Celestial Time and thought to himself, ’Forget it. I’ll come back to investigate after I successfully cultivate my Nascent Soul and master both the Five Elements Escape Skill and the Lesser Tracing Technique.’