"boom!"
The lightning bolt was shattered into pieces by Wang Xuan's blade, but Wang Xuan's attack was also blocked.
At this moment, Lin Lingsu had already formed hand seals and roared, "There are nine heavens, and the Divine Heaven is the highest! Today I will use the Divine Heaven Five Thunder Orthodox Method to send you to your demise!"
One bolt of lightning after another raged, not by martial arts, but by immortal magic! Lin Lingsu was able to use the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method at will entirely because she borrowed the power from the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman Mother Talisman!
Even though Wang Xuan dodged with all his might and used the Lingxu Step to avoid most of the lightning, a small portion of the lightning still struck him.
Fortunately, Wang Xuan was still wearing the Heavenly Silkworm Robe. This top-grade magic artifact has extremely strong resistance to magical attacks, instantly weakening most of the lightning's destructive power. The remaining little bit of power was only enough to make Wang Xuan cry out in pain a few times.
Driven by wickedness, Wang Xuan completely ignored the lightning bolts striking him and lunged directly at Lin Lingsu.
Just as his blade was about to strike Lin Lingsu's neck, ninety sub-talismans of the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman flew out from Lin Lingsu's body, activating the mother talisman of the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman and forming a hazy blue light that enveloped an area of ten feet in radius.
This is the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao reviving!
An unparalleled power emanated from the azure light, directly impacting the sword in Wang Xuan's hand. This low-grade magic weapon was instantly shattered into more than a dozen pieces by the power of the Heavenly Dao!
Then the force slammed into Wang Xuan's chest, sending him flying and spitting out several mouthfuls of bright red blood.
If it weren't for the Heavenly Silkworm Armor protecting him, even if Wang Xuan's cultivation level increased tenfold, he would have died here just now!
"You actually managed to withstand a strike from the Heavenly Dao, which is truly beyond my expectations!" Lin Lingsu looked at Wang Xuan's Heavenly Silkworm Robe with a hint of eagerness in her eyes: "Your white robe is extraordinary; it is actually a protective treasure. However, even so, you couldn't withstand more than a few attacks."
"Today, I will show you the power you have heard about! Before the power of the Heavenly Dao, you are utterly powerless!"
"boom!"
A burst of cyan light flashed, sending Wang Xuan flying once again.
However, just as Lin Lingsu was about to manipulate the nascent Heavenly Dao to attack again, the Heavenly Dao suddenly broke free from Lin Lingsu's control and rushed directly into Wang Xuan's body.
Lin Lingsu was dumbfounded. Although he could borrow the power of the nascent Heavenly Dao, he was not its master; in fact, he could be considered its servant. Once the nascent Heavenly Dao made any move, it was completely beyond his control.
The nascent form of the Heavenly Dao transformed into azure light and rushed into Wang Xuan's body, heading directly towards his mind, where the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth was located.
"Is this guy eyeing the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth?" Wang Xuan wasn't worried at all; instead, a strange smile appeared on his face.
The world will that Emperor Zhuanxu captured by gathering the thoughts of all people and impacting the world's will was indeed very strong, but it was not the true Heavenly Dao after all. Compared with a supreme treasure like the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth, it was simply incomparable.
As expected, the azure light initially rushed into Wang Xuan's mind like a hungry tiger, pouncing towards the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth. However, the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth only trembled slightly before the azure light was pulverized into a ball, almost completely annihilated.
The remaining blue light gathered together again, like a mouse that had spotted a cat, trying to escape from Wang Xuan's mind.
Chapter Fifty: Stealing a Heavenly Dao
The azure light that had formed from the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao tried to escape from Wang Xuan's mind, but once it entered, it found it difficult to leave.
The Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth trembled slightly once more, and Wang Xuan's luck points were instantly depleted. At the same time, he seemed to have formed a mysterious connection with the azure light that was the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao.
"It seems I've already refined this nascent Heavenly Dao?!" Wang Xuan was somewhat surprised and uncertain. He tried to give the nascent Heavenly Dao a command with his mind: "Leave my mind and return to the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman!"
The nascent form of the Heavenly Dao transformed into a stream of azure light, obediently emerging from Wang Xuan's mind and returning to the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman. Furthermore, the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman also flew from Lin Lingsu's head into Wang Xuan's arms, completely severing its connection with Lin Lingsu.
Lin Lingsu had spent decades cultivating this nascent form of the Heavenly Dao, but now Wang Xuan had easily snatched it away. How could he possibly accept that?
"Impossible! The nascent form of the Heavenly Dao was cultivated by our lineage over nearly ten thousand years. Countless predecessors and masters sacrificed their lives to nourish it with their souls and fortunes, and have long since established a connection with it in the unseen realm!" Lin Lingsu roared madly, "What kind of sorcery did you use to steal my Heavenly Dao!"
Wang Xuan ignored Lin Lingsu. He was so excited that he couldn't believe he had managed to steal a Heavenly Dao from the Water Margin world. He was going to be incredibly awesome!
Once he has cultivated this Heavenly Dao to maturity, wouldn't it be incredibly easy for him to find a world without a Heavenly Dao, merge with it, and become a god or an immortal?
Seeing that Wang Xuan didn't even glance at her, but instead held the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman with obvious affection, Lin Lingsu was so angry that she spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You devil, I'll fight you to the death! Give me back my family's Heavenly Dao!" Lin Lingsu was about to rush over and fight Wang Xuan to the death.
However, without the blessing of the nascent Heavenly Dao within the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman, how could Lin Lingsu be a match for Wang Xuan?
Wang Xuan estimated that this person's cultivation was at most equivalent to the perfected stage of the Acquired Realm of Martial Arts. The reason he was able to use the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method before was entirely due to the power of the Heavenly Dao.
Without the blessing of the nascent Heavenly Dao, Wang Xuan activated his Golden Eyes of Luck and discovered that Lin Lingsu's innate luck had actually dropped from golden yellow to crimson red, at most comparable to that of an ordinary Liangshan hero.
"You weakling, it seems you haven't grasped reality yet. I, the Dao Ancestor, will show you why flowers are so red!" Wang Xuan sneered, using his Divine Void Step to dodge Lin Lingsu's attack, and then leaped forward.
"Bang!" He punched Lin Lingsu directly in the stomach, sending her flying and leaving her unable to get up from the ground.
"Get up, let's have another one-on-one fight!" Wang Xuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said with a teasing expression.
Lin Lingsu looked utterly devastated and heartbroken. She stared intently at Wang Xuan, her aura growing weaker and weaker, like a dying person.
Wang Xuan was somewhat puzzled. Although he had used considerable force in that punch, he hadn't intended to kill, so it shouldn't have been fatal.
Lin Lingsu let out a bitter laugh: "If Heaven has a way, I will sacrifice myself for it; if Heaven has no way, I will sacrifice myself for it!"
"My life's work has been reduced to ashes. What is there left to cherish in this world? I might as well go home."
After saying that, Lin Lingsu's head lolled to the side, and she died!
Almost at the same time, an invisible suction force came from the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman in Wang Xuan's arms, as if something on Lin Lingsu's body was being sucked away by the nascent Heavenly Dao within the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman.
The azure light that had been crushed by the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth seemed to solidify a bit.
"Is this what it means to sacrifice oneself for one's cause?" Wang Xuan was dumbfounded. He had been hoping to obtain the inheritance of the Divine Firmament Path from Lin Lingsu, but now she had committed suicide, ruining Wang Xuan's plans.
"Forget it, I've already gotten the biggest benefit anyway. Compared to the nascent Heavenly Dao within the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman, the inheritance of the Divine Firmament Dao is nothing." Wang Xuan comforted himself and was about to turn and leave when suddenly a thought struck him, and he turned over Lin Lingsu's corpse.
He hadn't held out much hope, but to his surprise, he actually made some gains.
It was an ancient book written in animal hide, which recorded a supernatural power—the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method!
The Shenxiao Dao lineage originated from the ancient Emperor Zhuanxu and possesses many powerful supernatural abilities and techniques. However, the most formidable of these is the Shenxiao Five Thunder Orthodox Method!
This lightning technique is divided into five levels. The power of the first level is comparable to that of a martial arts master at the innate level. If one masters the fifth level, one can draw upon the divine lightning of the nine heavens, making its destructive power comparable to that of a supreme master at the martial arts divine power level!
Wang Xuan's face immediately lit up with a smile. He put the ancient book containing the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method into his spatial ring and left without looking back.
He desperately wanted to find a place to seclude himself and quietly study the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao, and also to cultivate the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method.
Although after Lin Lingsu's death, no one in Shenxiao Yuqing Wanshou Palace could threaten his safety, there were still several hundred Taoist priests of all ranks there.
If they were to disturb Wang Xuan while he was in seclusion, they might even suffer a qi deviation if they weren't careful.
There's not much to choose about where to go into seclusion; naturally, returning to Liangshan is the best option.
When Wang Xuan came to Bianjing, he needed to hide during the day and come out at night to avoid being noticed. However, he didn't need to do that when he returned to Liangshan. Therefore, he returned much faster than when he came, and it only took him a few days to get back to Liangshan.
Wang Xuan didn't alert anyone else. His disciples thought he was in seclusion in a secret room. Little did they know that he had secretly gone to Bianjing and killed the current Imperial Advisor.
"It's better not to tell them, otherwise they'll be frightened and I'll have to spend time comforting their fragile hearts." Wang Xuan grinned and quietly slipped into the secluded cultivation room.
This secret chamber was specially prepared by Wang Xuan for his own seclusion, so he didn't need to make any other arrangements and could start his seclusion cultivation directly.
Wang Xuan first took out the Yellow Heaven Fortune Talisman and released a wisp of innate true energy into it.
The innate true energy was instantly absorbed by the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao, which also sent a thirsty thought to Wang Xuan, hoping to absorb more innate true energy.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect this half-finished Heavenly Dao to be able to consume innate true energy. It seems it's quite easy to nurture." Wang Xuan's spirits immediately lifted, and he placed both hands on the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman, continuously channeling innate true energy into it.
However, Wang Xuan's joy was short-lived, because this half-finished Heavenly Dao had a huge appetite! Even after Wang Xuan exhausted all his innate true energy, it still showed no signs of being full!
Chapter 51: The End of Water Margin
Wang Xuan soon realized he had done something foolish.
Although the Heavenly Dao within the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman is only a half-finished product, it is still somewhat related to the Heavenly Dao! The lineage of Emperor Zhuanxu spent nearly ten thousand years and still failed to fully develop it. What use is Wang Xuan's little bit of innate true energy?
Upon discovering that it had no more innate true energy to consume, the nascent Heavenly Dao within the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman began to tremble, like a kitten or puppy begging for food from its master.
But Wang Xuan paid no attention to this glutton. He directly extended a wisp of his spiritual consciousness and merged it into the embryonic form of the Heavenly Dao.
The next moment, Wang Xuan seemed to become one with the entire world. He could sense the mountains and rivers, insects, fish, birds and beasts, and even every human being in the Water Margin world.
This is where the authority of Heaven resides!
The reason Lin Lingsu was able to see that Wang Xuan came from another world and was out of place in the Water Margin world must have been because she used this half-finished Heavenly Dao. That's how she was able to do it!
However, although Wang Xuan could sense every blade of grass and tree in the entire Water Margin world, the range of influence he could have was only within a hundred feet around him.
Because the entire Water Margin world is shrouded in a massive will, and that will is 99% similar to the nascent Heavenly Dao in Wang Xuan's Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman, which is the world will of the Water Margin world!
The nascent form of the Heavenly Dao in Wang Xuan's hands is essentially a part of the world's will in the Water Margin world. However, this wisp of world will was severed by Emperor Zhuanxu in ancient times, kept under house arrest and nurtured, and has long since become an independent entity.
Although they both originate from the same source, they are in competition and both want to devour the other.
If the world's will in the Water Margin world wants to destroy the wounds left from ancient times, it must devour the nascent form of the Heavenly Dao in Wang Xuan's hands!
If the nascent Heavenly Dao in Wang Xuan's hands were to devour the will of the entire world, it would immediately evolve from the nascent Heavenly Dao into a complete Heavenly Dao!
"So, does that mean my half-finished Heavenly Dao can only influence things within a radius of a hundred feet? Beyond that radius, everything falls under the control of the world's will."
Wang Xuan was not disappointed, because it possessed the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth, a supreme treasure that allowed him to travel to countless worlds.
He doesn't need to fight to the death with the world's will in the Water Margin world. He can find a world where the Heavenly Dao has not been born, or even where the world's will has not been fully formed, and let the nascent Heavenly Dao in his hands take over that world!
"Now that the Yellow Heavenly Fortune Talisman belongs to me, it's natural that it should be renamed." Wang Xuan looked at the jade talisman in his hand and said calmly, "From now on, you are a Heavenly Dao Talisman!"
The Heavenly Dao Talisman trembled slightly, as if it also preferred this name.
Wang Xuan put away the Heavenly Dao Talisman and began cultivating the first level of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Method: Thunder Technique.
The destructive power of this first level of lightning technique is comparable to that of a master of the Innate Realm, and only a master of the Innate Realm can unleash it. Martial artists of the Acquired Realm cannot use lightning techniques.
From that day on, the entire Liangshan area could hear muffled thunderous sounds.
Despite the sun shining brightly, muffled thunder could be heard, which greatly surprised the Xuan Tian Sheng Zong members on Liangshan Mountain. When they looked at the house where Wang Xuan was in seclusion, their eyes couldn't help but show some awe.
Wang Xuan had already established and perfected the basic framework of the Xuantian Holy Sect, and with the inheritance of the profound skill "Ziyang True Explanation," the sect was still growing stronger day by day, even though Wang Xuan was in seclusion at the moment.
As more and more people cultivate the "Purple Sun True Explanation," a considerable amount of fortune gathers around Wang Xuan every day, gradually increasing his almost depleted fortune.
A month later, Wang Xuan finally mastered the first level of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Orthodox Technique.
He probed his mind into the Tower of Eternity, and a certain information immediately surged into his mind.
Name: Wang Xuan
Permissions: Level 2
Cultivation level: Early stage of the Innate Realm