Chapter 731

Those who step onto the Dao, harmonize their minds with the heavens and earth, capable of doing things far beyond ordinary understanding with just a gesture.

For example, standing in plain sight yet remaining unseen, using mental power to create illusions that deceive and mislead enemies.

This is merely a basic application of mental power and doesn’t possess great destructive force.

What truly makes a Dao Seeker powerful is the ability to harness the forces of heaven and earth through their mental power—this is their most formidable means of attack.

Enough to plunge any ordinary martial artist into despair.

Though Dao Seekers seem cautious before the Grand Feng Dynasty, outside of such peak-level regimes, there are few forces that could make them feel fear or restraint.

At its peak, the Red Lotus Sect had only a bit more than ten Dao Seekers.

Yet even so, they stirred up chaos across several provinces.

As for those known as Dao Mages or Dao Masters, they stood even more aloof from worldly matters.

Upon reaching the level of a Dao Mage, one would no longer bother with rebellion.

If a Dao Mage chose to serve the Grand Feng Dynasty, the treatment and benefits they’d receive would be nearly equal to that of a royal prince.

And if they refused to serve?

They could simply vanish into one of the smaller nations surrounding Grand Feng.

With the power of a Dao Mage, they'd be an unchallenged authority in those lands.

Oppose the Grand Feng Dynasty? A Dao Mage isn’t foolish.

Of course, becoming a Dao Seeker is immensely difficult.

The Grand Feng Dynasty trains them in a unified system, providing the highest-quality resources and guidance.

Even so, very few manage to become Dao Seekers.

Among the common folk and martial underworld, they are even rarer.

At this moment, the hunchbacked old man saw Lin Yuan’s spirit draw upon the forces of heaven and earth, recognizing it as a sign of stepping onto the Dao.

It was only natural for his heart to surge with excitement.

With Lin Yuan becoming a Dao Seeker, his ability to survive while being hunted by the court would vastly improve.

And with himself, a peak martial expert of the underworld, by Lin Yuan’s side, as long as they didn’t step into any desperate or inescapable situations, their lives were unlikely to be in true danger.

The Red Lotus Sect leader ended up hunted down and killed by the court because he acted too high-profile, and had long been targeted by the Grand Feng's Dao Suppression Division.

But Lin Yuan was different.

The outside world had no idea he had already become a Dao Seeker.

The forces hunting him were surely much weaker.

“Calm down, calm down.”

“The most important thing now is to protect the Young Master’s path.”

The hunchbacked old man forced himself to stay composed.

Though he wasn’t a Dao Seeker himself, he still knew of certain taboos.

For example, a Dao Seeker’s first time drawing upon the powers of heaven and earth—their mind must remain completely undisturbed.

Otherwise, they could be torn apart by the rampaging energies.

With that in mind, the old man immediately began keeping watch with heightened vigilance.

What he didn’t know was, even Dao Mages had to cautiously control the forces of heaven and earth.

Yet before Lin Yuan, those forces behaved like a tame kitten.

Even with all his abilities suppressed, Lin Yuan’s current level still made manipulating such energy an effortless task.

When it came to control over the powers of heaven and earth, not to mention Dao Mages, even Dao Masters were far inferior.

“Too little of an improvement.”

Lin Yuan opened his eyes, as the powers of heaven and earth around him slowly calmed.

The first step onto the Dao, drawing those forces into one’s body, was supposed to bring the greatest growth.

Yet even at this so-called peak improvement, Lin Yuan found it unsatisfactory.

First of all, his physical body, at most, was only a bit stronger than before he stepped onto the Dao.

Even a Dao Master’s body remained a mundane flesh body.

This world of cycles placed heavy restrictions on the physical form, only slightly loosening them in terms of spiritual power.

But without a strong physical foundation, it’s hard to develop a powerful mental will.

For most cultivators, the body is the foundation.

From the body, all other extraordinary powers are born.

“Still, at least I now have the strength to defend myself.”

Lin Yuan nodded slightly. With his current control over spiritual force, he was likely already on par with a Dao Mage.

A Dao Mage, unless foolish enough to challenge the court directly, could live freely almost anywhere.

The court wouldn’t press too hard on someone of that level.

For example, in this Red Lotus purge, if the sect had a Dao Mage among them, the court’s approach might’ve been completely different.

They might’ve even tried to win them over.

As for whether the Red Lotus Sect was rebelling?

Wasn’t that something the Grand Feng Dynasty got to decide?

As the powers of heaven and earth fully settled, the hunchbacked old man cautiously approached.

“Third Uncle.”

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and nodded to the old man.

In the thousand future timelines he’d observed, this Third Uncle had been absolutely loyal—sacrificing himself many times to help Lin Yuan escape.

“Young Master, you... you’ve become a Dao Seeker?”

The old man’s voice was full of emotion. Even though he’d already guessed this from the shifting energies, he still wanted to hear it confirmed.

“After hearing of my father’s death, my emotions surged... and I happened to step onto the Dao.”

Lin Yuan casually gave a reason.

In this world, stepping onto the Dao was a deeply mysterious process.

Besides one’s own accumulation and talent, it was also influenced by external factors.

Stimulation, trauma—they could all have an effect.

“Good, good, good.”

The old man nodded repeatedly.

He couldn’t even tell if his heart was rejoicing or aching.

He was glad Lin Yuan had stepped onto the Dao, but pained by the loss of his father and the court’s relentless pursuit.

“Young Master, let’s set out now for Yongzhou. With help from the branch cult there, we might have a chance to rise again.”

He glanced up at the sky, which was beginning to darken.

During the day, there were too many court spies. Even in the deep mountains, they dared not travel.

Only at night, under the cover of darkness, could they move silently and unseen.

It was by this cautiousness that the old man had helped Lin Yuan escape thousands of miles while avoiding the court’s hunters.

“Go to Yongzhou?”

Lin Yuan looked at him and shook his head.

“I don’t like it there.”

In one of the future timelines he’d seen, the branch leader in Yongzhou had already surrendered to the court.

They were just waiting for Lin Yuan to arrive, so they could collaborate with the court and wipe out the remaining Red Lotus remnants in one stroke.

“You don’t like Yongzhou?”

The old man blinked.

“Then what about Chizhou?”

While the branch there wasn’t as strong as Yongzhou’s, it was still decent.

“Chizhou won’t work either.”

Lin Yuan shook his head.

In another future line, the old man had taken him to Chizhou.

Only to find out that the branch there had also defected. The entire Chizhou Red Lotus faction now belonged to the court.

The old man thought for a moment and named several more locations.

But Lin Yuan rejected them all.

These places had already fallen under the court’s control.

Going there would be walking straight into a trap.

“Third Uncle, what do you think of the Dao Suppression Division’s methods?”

Lin Yuan asked.

“Their methods...”

The old man fell silent, a trace of fear in his eyes.

The Grand Feng’s Dao Suppression Division was ruthless and left nothing to chance.

This time, the Red Lotus leader had taken most of his followers with him, yet was completely wiped out by the division.

Only Lin Yuan and the old man had escaped.

And even that was because the Sect leader had sacrificed his own escape, drawing the division’s focus and buying them time.

“If the Dao Suppression Division made a move, they were already fully prepared. You say those places are safe, but don’t you think they’ve already accounted for that?”

Lin Yuan said.

In truth, the division had already cut off all escape paths before striking at the Red Lotus leader.

Those branch sects weren’t set up for Lin Yuan’s benefit—they were meant for the Sect leader.

The division hadn’t been fully confident they could take down a Dao Seeker.

A Dao Seeker determined to escape would cost them dearly to capture.

The division didn’t want to go down with the Red Lotus.

That’s why they’d set traps at the branches, hoping to catch the Sect leader if he tried to regroup.

“Young Master, you mean to say...”

The old man wasn’t stupid. Lin Yuan’s explanation immediately made him rethink everything.

Knowing how the division worked, such a plan was more than plausible.

“Every escape route you can think of—they’ve thought of too. And they’ve already prepared traps for us.”

Lin Yuan said.

And it was true.

This was what he’d concluded after observing a thousand future timelines.

Once a state apparatus like the Grand Feng mobilized, not even a Dao Mage could stand against it. Don’t run? Then die.

If the Red Lotus had more than just basic Dao Seekers, and the division hadn’t used such limited forces, Lin Yuan and the old man would’ve never escaped.

“Then what do you plan to do, Young Master?”

Unknowingly, the old man had already left the next move up to Lin Yuan.

First, because Lin Yuan’s analysis was spot-on and sent chills down his spine.

Second, because Lin Yuan was now a Dao Seeker.

Even in the Red Lotus Sect’s prime, a Dao Seeker held immense weight.

Let alone now.

“If the court has laid traps outside—then we simply won’t go out.”

Lin Yuan smiled.

“Not go out?”

The old man was stunned.

He looked around at the dense mountain landscape.

“Stay here in the mountains?”

He asked again, unable to believe it.

“Third Uncle, do you trust me?”

Lin Yuan didn’t explain further and asked directly.

“Of course I trust you.”

The old man nodded without hesitation.

Ever since the old Sect leader’s death, Lin Yuan was the only one he could rely on.

“Then do as I say. Don’t ask anything, just follow me.”

Lin Yuan said simply.

In all the future timelines he’d seen, as long as he left the mountains within ten years, he’d fall into some kind of trap.

Although he survived most of them, it always led to early confrontations with the Dao Suppression Division.

But if he stayed hidden in these mountains, he’d enjoy decades of peaceful development.

Until his strength fully matured, Lin Yuan preferred not to reveal himself.

Especially under the test of “killing the Grand Feng Emperor.”

A trial that had trapped countless 12th-rank perfectionists in a time loop—could it really be that simple? Lin Yuan wouldn’t dare underestimate it.

“Alright.”

“You go where I go, Young Master.”

The old man finally understood.

The confidence in Lin Yuan’s voice made him trust without hesitation.

“Mm.”

Lin Yuan nodded.

“There’s a bandit stronghold in these mountains called Blackwind Fort. A group of mountain bandits gathers there. We’ll head there.”

Through the thousands of future timelines, Lin Yuan had mapped out decades of future development.

Step one: remain hidden in the mountains.

Of course, not just hiding—he’d take over Blackwind Fort.

It was just a petty mountain bandit group, nowhere near enough to catch the Dao Suppression Division’s attention.

Hiding there with his uncle, they would live in peace—

While preparing many backup plans.

“Blackwind Fort?”

The old man thought for a moment, then nodded. “We’ll follow your lead.”

Several hundred miles from Lin Yuan and the old man, over a dozen towering men in silver armor stood silently.

They were powerhouses of the Dao Suppression Division.

“Big Brother, we’re not continuing the chase?”

A burly bearded man asked the leader in a low voice.

“This Black Mountain range winds for ten thousand miles. How do you propose we chase them? Deploy hundreds of thousands of troops for a few Red Lotus stragglers? Or send in a Dao Master?”

The leader retorted.

Troops and Masters were peak forces of the dynasty.

They couldn’t be moved lightly.

Though the dynasty was at its peak, unrest still erupted across the provinces, and needed either armies or Masters to suppress.

A Dao Master’s battle strength equaled a thousand-man army.

But no one compared them directly.

Their true power lay in assassination—taking an enemy general’s head from the heart of enemy lines.

“Relax. The Red Lotus leader is dead. The leftovers can’t make waves.”

The leader spoke calmly. “I’ve already set up outside Black Mountain. Once those remnants emerge—they won’t get far.”

With that, he turned and left.

The other dozen Dao Suppression Division elites followed.

The Division was tasked with suppressing any Dao Seeker with rebellious intent.

Red Lotus was just one of their targets—and a weak one at that.

Now that they’d mostly been dealt with, the division’s elites were already moving on to other provinces.

Deep within Black Mountain—

A group of mountain bandits gathered in a place called Blackwind Fort.

In truth, Black Mountain stretched for ten thousand miles, and housed over a dozen bandit groups.

At this moment, two figures appeared outside the fort—one old, one young.

“Who goes there?”

A patrolling bandit eyed Lin Yuan and the old man warily.

Neither of them looked like ordinary people.

“I’ve come to see your leader.”

Lin Yuan stepped forward, smiling at the bandit.

Half an hour later—

The first, second, and third bosses of Blackwind Fort, along with four other top leaders, were all kneeling before Lin Yuan, kowtowing repeatedly.

No one knew—

That in just half an hour, Blackwind Fort had changed hands.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, twenty years went by.

...

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