Chapter 297: Chapter 68: Turning Demons into Virtue_2

Even the likes of Ning Daohuan, whom he regarded as unparalleled in talent, dared not harbor any further ambitions.

At this thought, a wave of heaviness washed over Lu Yuansheng.

At such a young age, he had already stepped into the Golden Core stage, harboring the thought of attaining the Nascent Soul Realm in his heart from the very beginning.

But hearing this sort of news now made it quite difficult for him to accept.

“However…”

Ning Daohuan paused.

He strolled a few steps, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing down at the endless darkness beneath the statue.

In his gaze, however, there was a flicker of ambition, hidden deep within yet unable to be completely concealed.

“I, for one, do not believe in predestination!”

“If the Demon Dao is not the way, then I will opt for the Righteous Dao!”

“Change from Demon to Righteous!”

The words weren’t loud, but they echoed like thunder in the ears!

Lu Yuansheng stared at Ning Daohuan’s back, momentarily frozen in place.

“Heh, you must be wondering why I’m going to such lengths to bring down Pang Xiao of the Mountain Sea Sect, right?”

Ning Daohuan suddenly pointed at the corpse in the palm of the statue and laughed.

Lu Yuansheng nodded subconsciously.

But immediately, he seemed to realize something, and a hint of shock flashed in his eyes.

“The Sect Hierarch seeks to… replace him…”

“Exactly! You caught on quickly!”

Ning Daohuan nodded appreciatively at Lu Yuansheng.

“The Path of Body Cultivation is the only Righteous Dao body that can accommodate the Demon Dao! However, Body Cultivators are extremely rare in the Fenglin Continent. I have tread across several states of the Chu Dynasty without finding a single one, except here in the Chen State, where I found the Mountain Sea Sect.”

“Unfortunately, the most suitable Pang Xiao, despite having a body comparable to a Nascent Soul, still couldn’t bear my Nascent Soul. I waited a long time and even deliberately gave him a top-grade treasure for cultivating the physical body. With it, he was able to smoothly step into the Nascent Soul Realm and his body, under the tempering of the Heavenly Tribulation, underwent a transformation.”

Ning Daohuan sighed, “But, all the hard work was worth it!”

Lu Yuansheng listened to Ning Daohuan’s words without any surprise on his face.

Because he had personally taken part in quite a few of these steps.

For instance, giving Pang Xiao the priceless treasure was a plan he personally participated in.

However, he didn’t know Ning Daohuan’s objective at the time. Now thinking about it, Ning Daohuan had clearly calculated that as soon as Pang Xiao got the treasure, he would immediately begin cultivating, leading to Crossing Tribulation.

And the timing of tribulation matched almost perfectly with this war Ning Daohuan embarked on.

It could be said, Ning Daohuan almost flawlessly predicted the reactions of all parties in this war.

And responded equally flawlessly to them.

The only blotch was probably those Golden Core Elders who were killed by people from the five sects.

These elders were all seasoned Golden Cores, with powerful abilities.

If they hadn’t exhausted so much Mana trying to help Ning Daohuan restrain Pang Xiao, became unresponsive and failed to avoid a direct confrontation, they wouldn’t have been killed on the spot.

But sometimes, that’s just the way it is. There’s no one to blame for destiny.

“So, you should know why I called you here this time, right?”

Ning Daohuan turned around, facing Lu Yuansheng.

Lu Yuansheng felt a shiver run down his spine, and had a vague idea of what Ning Daohuan meant.

“That’s right, I’m leaving the East Saint stronghold in your hands. You must hold up against the combined onslaught of the five sects of Chen State and the Incense Fire Dao, no matter what.”

“At least, you need to give me half a year!”

“In half a year, I should be able to fully complete the transformation from Demon to Righteous.”

Ning Daohuan was staring at Lu Yuansheng, his seemingly gentle eyes hiding a sharp edge.

Lu Yuansheng didn’t dare to meet his gaze and quickly lowered his head.

“Your disciple understands!”

“Your disciple will defend the East Saint stronghold at the cost of his life!”

“Hmm, that’s good. If really necessary, you can give up the outer area, but Fanming must be well-guarded!”

Ning Daohuan nodded slightly, then again advised seriously.

“Yes! Hierarch, rest assured, unless I die, I will ensure the safety of Fanming!”

“Then, this disciple will take his leave.”

“Hmm, go ahead.”

Ning Daohuan nodded.

Then he watched as Lu Yuansheng slowly descended from the statue and strode into the Teleportation Array, soon vanishing into the light.

Not long after Lu Yuansheng left,

A dark shadow quietly appeared behind Ning Daohuan.

“Master.”

Ning Daohuan didn’t turn around, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back.

The warmth, generosity, and ambition he had shown earlier had unconsciously faded away, leaving nothing in his eyes but a hint of cold indifference.

“Who has he communicated with after he attained the Golden Core?”

“The five Golden Cores, Elder Jing, Elder Bei…”

“Foundation establishment, eighty-four people, Zhang Xi, Zhu Ziji, Yan Yun… Yan Chi, Dong Qiyu… Wang Ba…”

“Qi refining, three people…”

The shadow seemed to have no emotion, listing them one by one.

However, Ning Daohuan did not interrupt, but meticulously considered each individual in his mind.

Then he asked:

“Who are the potential problems?”

“Wu Yeshan… Dong Qiyu… Wang Ba, Zhu Yushi.”

Hearing these names, Ning Daohuan reflected on each person again.

“Dong Qiyu… what a pity.”

Ning Daohuan shook his head, then focused on the name ‘Wang Ba’:

“I am familiar with this man, he excels in breeding Spirit Chickens. He reported to me before. Where is the problem with this person?”

“This person once bribed him with a Class II top grade Spirit Chicken.”

The shadow replied, without any hint of emotion.

“Did this person succeed?”

“He should have, his Dao companion was able to remain in the station during the previous mission.”

The shadow answered.

Hearing this, Ning Daohuan slowly rubbed his fingers, lost in deep thought.

“A Class II top grade Spirit Chicken… this disciple hasn’t been in Foundation Establishment for too long, right?”

“Yes, it hasn’t been two years since the establishment of his foundation.”

“Well, his talent isn’t too bad, probably even higher than Yan Chi from Talisman Dao.”

Without any hesitation, Ning Daohuan continued:

“Let’s keep this person. Right, about Zhu Yushi…”

“Yes.”

The shadow responded, again without any hint of emotion.

“Uh-huh, okay, go back now. After all, you’re only at Foundation Establishment. Don’t let them get suspicious.”

Ning Daohuan said indifferently.

“Yes.”

The shadow slowly turned and vanished into the darkness.

Meanwhile…

At the East Saint station.

Bai Yu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze devoid of all emotion.

…

Wang Ba stared at the figure before him, seemingly lost in a dream.

He didn’t dare speak.

For fear that once he did, the dream would end.

Just then, the delicate shadow in front of him waved her hand wrapped in a towel, looking confused.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother?”

Bu Chan’s face was full of confusion, but before she could react, Wang Ba suddenly rushed over and held her tightly in his embrace.

Bu Chan was caught off guard and found herself held tightly. Her face turned bright red.

She quickly looked around, only to see that some cultivators around them were observing Wang Ba’s surprising act, with a mix of goodwill and disdain…

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother! There are people around…”

Bu Chan struggled to raise her hand, trying to break free.

However, she quickly realized something and couldn’t help but look up at Wang Ba.

What she saw was their usually calm Senior Brother.

At this moment, looking at her, his eyes were somewhat moist.

“Senior Brother…”

At this moment, Bu Chan felt her heart twisting.

She tenderly raised her hand, cupping her Senior Brother’s face.

Hiding his moment of vulnerability from others.

Then she ignored all the curious glances from the people around, hugged her Senior Brother tightly.

Feeling his warmth, his heartbeat.

And his mumbling.

“As long as you’re here, it’s alright.”

“It’s alright as long as you’re here.”

“Senior Brother, I’m here, I’ve always been here.”

Patting Wang Ba’s back, as if comforting a child, Bu Chan gently said.

At this moment, the whole world fell silent.