Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

"Brother Daoist, you are indeed thorough in your considerations. Now that we have the bait, how can we pinpoint the Mother Empress's exact whereabouts?" The Buddha Emperor asked in a deep voice once again, "We must know that the Mother Empress is a strong figure of the same realm as us. Her position changes in the blink of an eye. The intelligence in your possession, Dao Emperor, can only serve as a reference and cannot be the basis for any strategic deployment."

"Well said! Which is why I've come to seek the assistance of both you and the Demon Emperor."

"I've already done everything, what use do I have of you!"

"Determining the Mother Empress's movements and luring her into the trap — this task will rely on you and the Demon Emperor. When it comes to divination and tracking, I freely admit I'm not as skilled as you, Buddha Emperor." The Dao Emperor glanced at the Buddha Emperor, his tone unwaveringly confident.

The Buddha Emperor's expression froze for a moment, then an invisible heavenly wind began to stir within the Secret Realm once more.

The three of them once again delved into their plans for ambushing Asna and the enigmatic King of Yin Land within Yin Land.

Even if they couldn't destroy the so-called King of Yin Land, they must at least eradicate all of Asna's avatars and deal a severe blow to the King of Yin Land, stripping him of any opportunity to compete with the three of them.

They also brought up the matter of how to secretly execute their contingency plans after the affair with the Mother Empress concluded, adding it to their agenda for discussion.

....

....

A few days later, in the Blood and Flesh Nest.

A streak of blood-red light carried a jade-green jade scroll, breaking through the void and arriving unannounced.

The jade scroll emitted a glimmer that struck against the pale red aura enveloping the Blood and Flesh Nest. After some delay, a crack appeared in the red aura, allowing the jade scroll to slip through into the interior.

"A message personally sent by Lord Bo Xun?"

"Using such a peculiar method of communication – what matter could be so urgent?"

On the throne within the Blood and Flesh Nest, the Destruction Evil Lord frowned, stretching out a tendril to catch the jade scroll. Soon, all the eyes on his body gleamed with a look of intense shock.

The information conveyed in Bo Xun's jade scroll was brief.

Something had happened in the Southern Wilderness Star Field in a small place called the Lingxia Realm.

Bo Xun had received word from His Majesty Asna that the Gaze Mark he had planted in the Southern Wilderness Star Field had been obliterated.

Only those who had truly faced the might of the Overlookers of All Heavens could comprehend how terrifyingly powerful they were.

Even within the Dao Fruit Realm, there were hierarchies in strength.

After countless millennia, the Cosmic Sea's myriad Star Domains had already reached an established consensus.

Among the Superior Dao Fruit cultivators, only the most powerful were bestowed the title of Overlookers of All Heavens — the present seven exalted entities at the pinnacle of existence.

Beneath these seven stood the Thirty-Six Heavenly Monarchs.

Most of these formidable figures gathered under the banners of the seven Overlookers. Of the Thirty-Six, the Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon factions collectively claimed sixteen Heavenly Monarchs, while the Holy Alliance housed fourteen. The remaining six were elusive, their whereabouts within the Cosmic Sea completely unknown.

Neither the Overlookers of All Heavens nor the Heavenly Monarchs earned their titles out of self-proclamation but carved their legendary reputations by stepping over the bodies of their peers within the same realm.

As for himself, the Destruction Evil Lord, he held a rank among the Thirty-Six Heavenly Monarchs — albeit the lowest, at the thirty-sixth position.

"A cultivator in the insignificant Lingxia Realm capable of erasing His Majesty Asna's Gaze Mark?"

"They might not quite be a Heavenly Monarch-level expert, but they must not be far off. No wonder Lord Bo Xun has sent me to investigate."

"Very well then..."

The Destruction Evil Lord tapped his tendrils against the throne as a notion suddenly came to him, making his expression change once more.

"Damn it! Black Scorpion!"

"Just a few days ago, Black Scorpion ventured to that godforsaken place in the Southern Wilderness Star Field — a wretched little spot known as Lingxia Realm."

As soon as the thought came to him, urgency overtook the Destruction Evil Lord. A Dao Fruit Eighth Layer cultivator like Black Scorpion entering such a place was akin to throwing a meat bun to a dog — there'd be no return.

Hurriedly, he pulled out a black compass and began casting a series of spells. Yet, the messages sent vanished like stones dropped into the sea, leaving no trace. Whether it was due to the distance being too vast, Black Scorpion neglecting to bring a Communication Artifact, or some other unforeseen incident remained unclear.

Though Communication Artifacts were convenient and swift, they posed a double-edged threat. Within the Cosmic Sea, rival cultivators employing unique methods could locate your position using these artifacts. High monks in the Venerable Buddha Realm, for instance, were highly adept in such techniques.

Thus, some cautious cultivators either refrained from carrying these long-range artifacts altogether or heavily sealed them, only unlocking them in absolutely secure environments to check for messages.

Whatever the reason, none of this boded well for Black Scorpion.

"Idiot! Black Scorpion, you fool!"

"You'd better not be rushing headlong into death, or I won't be able to save you even if I wanted to."

Black Scorpion, ever respectful and capable of independent action, was a subordinate the Destruction Evil Lord valued highly. Heart heavy with concern, he flipped his palm to retrieve a black flying boat and broke through the void, heading toward the Southern Wilderness Star Field.

....

....

On the cold, dark Star Road, a Taoist was fleeing in haste.

Yi Chengzi, Yi Chengzi, Shocking Pure Yang Yi Chengzi — the Yi Chengzi who claimed he'd never run, had fled, dragging the entire Lingxia Realm along with him at breakneck speed!

"Damn it! I've become nothing more than a beast of burden!"

"All because of you lot of ingrates. While you sing and dance like nothing's wrong, poor me has to carry the burden and run."

With the Gravity Dao Fruit and Magnetic Field Dao Fruit supporting him, Yi Chen's Extreme Origin energy felt endless. But after careening down the Star Road for nearly ten days, Yi Chen came to a realization.

This wasn't the Gravity Dao Fruit or Magnetic Field Dao Fruit at work — no, this was clearly the Innate Oxen-Horse Dao Fruit.

Racing across the Star Road, fuel costs? Not even a steamed bun! The universe foots the bill.

The journey along the Star Road was dreary and monotonous. Even Yi Chen, despite his constant flight, began to feel the dullness set in after days of relentless motion.

Under the effects of the Gravity Dao Fruit and Magnetic Field Dao Fruit, the entire region surrounding the Lingxia Realm seemed to form a sealed-off space, as if pulled along by chains of magnetism and gravity.

Looking back at the Lingxia Realm, which resembled an oversized boulder dragged behind him, Yi Chen sighed with resignation before resuming his rapid journey.

He found himself reminiscing about that one moment during his True Technique breakthrough where he recalled a Taoist trekking the Star Road, indulging in cultivation and debauchery until they eventually vanished without a trace. He couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

One had to admit, that organization known as "Falling Maple at Dusk" truly knew how to live.

Unfortunately, as Yi Chen sped onward, all he saw was a vast void; the worlds in this region seemed to have long since fallen, leaving the Lingxia Realm as a solitary survivor adrift in the abyss.

Thankfully, with the star maps obtained from the Heavenly Star Realm and the information gathered from Asna's avatars and others regarding the Southern Wilderness Star Field, Yi Chen at least had a general direction for his escape and wasn't entirely lost.

Two more days passed before Yi Chen, hurtling forward, abruptly stopped, his expression turning cold.

Gravity extended infinitely and swept broadly. Moments ago, Yi Chen had sensed two presences approaching.

Both exuded an indescribable aura of evil. The one closer to him felt slightly weaker, while the more distant one — just within the range of his gravitational field's perception — was considerably more terrifying.

"Damn it! Got happy for nothing."

"I was even thinking of making a power play!"

Yi Chen's face darkened. Initially, upon detecting the closer source of evil, his first instinct was to eliminate the threat.

Encountering a venomous viper along the way and not killing it? Was that even human behavior?

As a Taoist who hated to waste resources, Yi Chen's decision was to veer off and engage in a close encounter with the fiend.

But he never anticipated sensing yet another strong presence in the distance.

He concluded that both were heading toward the vicinity of Lingxia Realm's previous location, no doubt targeting him, Yi Chengzi.

With this realization, Yi Chen reflexively utilized the power of Magnetic Fields and the Gravity Dao Fruit to simulate the vacuum-like magnetic signature of the void, cloaking the entire Lingxia Realm in concealment.

He now found himself in a difficult predicament.

Fight or not? That was the question.

If he guarded the Lingxia Realm through combat, an inevitable commotion would attract the attention of the distant powerhouse.

The outcome would then spiral out of his control.

"Forget it; let's just pretend I was passing through."

Yi Chen sighed inwardly. Thinking of the Master, his junior brothers, and others still on the Lingxia Realm, he ultimately made his choice.

Risking himself was one matter — a straightforward fight was fine.

But gambling with the lives of others? That wasn't something he was willing to take lightly.

He didn't want to do anything he'd regret.

With a flicker of thought, Yi Chen restrained his aura, standing amidst the void.

It was then that the scorpion-headed humanoid monster approaching from afar suddenly transformed into a streak of streaming light, appearing abruptly beside Yi Chen.