Chapter 95: Seeking the Way

Extinguished-Buddha Desert.

The boundless sands radiated intense heat. The very air shimmered and twisted in waves.

Lu Ye moved swiftly through the desert.

And just as everyone had expected, he was gradually being surrounded.

Eleven Loose Deities.

Loose Deities weren’t the same as Tribulation Stage cultivators. Tribulation cultivators could still summon heavenly tribulation—Loose Deities no longer bore that burden.

In terms of raw combat power, the two realms weren’t that far apart. One hadn’t yet transcended tribulation; the other had failed it.

If a Tribulation Stage cultivator went all out and ignored the risk of triggering their tribulation, they might actually overpower a Loose Deity.

But in doing so, they would almost certainly die in the process.

Right now, Lu Ye could take on one Loose Deity in a one-on-one fight. It wouldn’t be a problem. With all his methods unleashed, he could kill them outright.

But the price wouldn’t be small.

Against eleven? Not a chance.

His reason for coming here was very clear.

Draw the eyes of the world.

Ensure the Grand Dao Sect's safety.

Retrieve Withered Man Wood.

Break through to Dao Integration.

And kill enemies.

As for right and wrong?

On the road of seeking the Dao—what even is right or wrong?

If Lu Ye won, it meant the sects ignored his warnings, led their disciples to death, and then stubbornly refused to back down—causing their own downfall, one step at a time.

If Lu Ye lost, then he was nothing more than a bloodthirsty madman, a devil who brought calamity upon himself, and thus deserved death.

This world had always been that way.

The victor becomes king; the loser, a criminal.

Up ahead lay a half-buried temple swallowed by the sands. Once golden and radiant, its halls gleaming with Buddhist light—now reduced to broken walls and collapsed roofs.

Crumbled Buddha statues lay coated in dust, their once-compassionate faces twisted into eerie, terrifying expressions.

Lu Ye stepped inside.

A faint chanting echoed all around him, lingering by his ears.

He ignored it completely and walked forward.

One Buddha statue’s head slowly twisted on its own. Lu Ye slashed out with a flick of his hand, leaving a deep mark on the stone with his sword.

"Don’t bother me."

The wraith latched onto the Buddha’s head—

Went silent.

These were remnants of long-dead Buddhist powerhouses—ghostly obsessions lingering after the sect’s fall. Their combat power wasn’t much—around Nascent Soul—but their horror factor was top-tier.

Passing through the front hall—

He came to the collapsed Grand Buddha Hall, littered with countless bones.

Lu Ye slammed his fist into the ground.

A blast erupted. Skeletons were thrown in all directions. A deep pit tore through the sand.

Lu Ye dove straight # Nоvеlight # in.

The sand suddenly began to churn in an unnatural, disturbing way. Layer upon layer of murderous intent turned blood-red, coating everything. It surged up around him, trying to drown him in it.

The red sand surged into him, burrowing through his flesh, invading his mouth, nose, eyes, ears—every opening of his body.

No—even inside his veins, the sand had begun to flow.

It was a nightmarish sight.

A living person, slowly being turned into a being made of sand.

Lu Ye had already experienced this in his past life. It wasn’t truly an attack—but rather a deeply realistic illusion.

The Withered Man Wood, ever since he entered the temple, had begun releasing hallucinogenic poison into him. It was formless and traceless, and Lu Ye hadn’t paid it much mind.

Simple illusions—he wasn’t afraid of those.

Now, he had sunk deep beneath the desert.

And through his Heaven-Masking Art, he had concealed every last trace of his presence.

Suddenly, Lu Ye stopped moving.

Within his divine sense, his current state was terrifying beyond words.

Blood-red sand had occupied everything.

Even his mind—completely filled with sand.

Lu Ye reached out.

And seized a withered, blood-red piece of wood.

At its base, thick tangles of fibrous roots extended outward, spreading densely in all directions.

Clearly a dead piece of wood—yet gripping it felt like grabbing a fistful of hot, fresh blood.

A flash of swordlight burst from his hand.

In that moment, a sharp, shrieking wail echoed from the withered wood.

The Withered Man Wood was in hand.

True essence surged out of Lu Ye, forming a stable pocket of space deep within the desert.

"Begin cultivation."

Ding—Cultivation initiated!

Golden Sunflower of the Heavenly Dawn,

Stainless Pearl of the Blood Sea,

Withered Man Wood—

Three treasures required for condensing the third life were now assembled.

In the depths of cultivation, Lu Ye’s Nascent Soul opened its eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he chose to break through.

Dao Integration.

Harmony with the Dao.

A merging with the Grand Dao.

This was the realm where one first truly touched the Dao itself—a stage where many cultivators defined the path they would follow for the rest of their lives.

In his previous life, the Dao Lu Ye chose... was honestly a bit ridiculous.

It was protection.

To protect those he loved.

To protect the people of the human race.

Those who lack love, if they ever manage to grasp it, will never let go—even if that love is full of thorns, tearing their hands open and spilling blood, they’d still hold tight, intoxicated and addicted.

Only those who have always been loved have the luxury to pick and choose between kinds of love.

As for protecting the human race—Lu Ye never thought much of it.

But when he saw others living in happiness, he could always smile quietly to himself.

There is much beauty in this world.

It is worth protecting.

But when it came to “protecting those he loved”—

At this moment, a cold, cruel smile crept across Lu Ye’s face.

This life—he would integrate with the Dao of seeking.

All that is unknown,

All that was never seen in lifetimes past,

All of it—he would pursue.

In this life, he sought not beauty or wealth,

Not mercy or compassion.

Only the endless edge of the Dao.

Only the summit of all things.

Only the truth that makes death worth it.

Only the courage to charge forward, no matter the price.

A faint smile appeared on Lu Ye’s face.

That smile—calm, and utterly indifferent.

He was going to merge with the Dao.

A new poison—

What would it be?

Meanwhile, in the Demon Realm.

After the self-detonation of the Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor, the realm was left in chaos—without a ruler.

The Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor had commanded immense reverence among the demon clans. Even now, many refused to believe it had truly died.

But the dead were dead. The demon race had to move forward.

So a new Demon Emperor was chosen.

A mighty beast with Qiongqi bloodline, second only to the Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor in power.

And far away, in a desolate corner of the demon realm—

A wet, ashen bird lay in the mud, barely clinging to life.

It was Vermilion Bird.

But her condition... was clearly wrong.

Her entire body was trembling violently, as if something inside her was tearing around, struggling to break free.

Suddenly, Vermilion Bird’s eyes shot open.

Her gaze turned savage. Mad.

A moment later, her eyes shut again.

When they reopened, they were frantic. Desperate.

Two wills were locked in battle within the same body—entangled, warring, fusing.

Parasitism was underway.

"No—damn it—why is your Dao so strong?!"

A voice that did not belong to Vermilion Bird came out of her mouth.

Far off, the newly crowned Qiongqi-blooded Demon Emperor let out a roar of pain and defiance.

His eyes... changed.

From the eyes of a Qiongqi Demon Emperor,

To the eyes of the Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor.

Vermilion Bird panted heavily.

After the baptism of flame, she was now in an extremely weakened state.

The Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor had tried to possess her with everything it had—

And still failed.

But... it couldn’t be called a complete failure.

At this moment, Vermilion Bird’s eyes seemed to see two perspectives at once.

One—her own.

The other—the Qiongqi Demon Emperor’s.

The parasitic seed had taken root in her body.

Though she had forcibly severed all the tendrils, the seed itself had not been expelled.

It had completely fused with her.

Which meant—

To utterly annihilate the Myriad-Beast Demon Emperor...

She would have to die too.