Chapter 257: Born for Martial Dao? Martial Dao Started Because of Him!

As a Martial Dao seventh-tier powerhouse with a formidable physique, Dan Yang could easily lift towering divine mountains hundreds of thousands of zhang tall.

This was just pure physical strength; if he relied on other methods, Dan Yang's power would surge by a huge margin.

This was the difference between Martial Dao and Immortal Dao. Immortal Dao practitioners focused on the 'Spirit'. Starting from the Golden Core Stage, the Nascent Soul Stage, the Soul Transformation Stage, the Refining Void Stage, and so on, most of their cultivation was concentrated on the 'Spirit'.

Martial Dao was different. Although Martial Dao could condense a Primordial Spirit, it still took the Physical Body as its Foundation, with Qi and blood vast like an ocean.

However, at this moment, Dan Yang was inwardly horrified.

He grabbed Lin Yuan's right hand, yet no matter how he tried, he couldn't lift him up.

Heavy!

Heavy!

It was simply too heavy!

It felt as if he wasn't facing a person, but an entire world.

But how could this be possible?

Could a person be as heavy as a world?

Dan Yang's thoughts were like mush, and he couldn't react for a long time.

He was even doubting whether his strength had declined?

"Want to lift me?"

Lin Yuan glanced at Dan Yang.

A trace of strangeness appeared in his expression.

How heavy was he?

Not to mention his Physical Body for now.

As a Martial Dao eighth-tier, his Physical Body had undergone a five- to six-fold amplification from the Mysterious Gourd.

Every drop of blood and every single hair exceeded ten thousand tons according to the Main World's measurement standards.

The weight of the Physical Body was actually the lesser part.

The key was the Internal World within Lin Yuan, which was twenty-six million li in radius.

This world was located inside Lin Yuan; although it kept a low profile and didn't reveal itself, it didn't mean it didn't exist.

It was just that usually, Lin Yuan circulated World Power to balance the Internal World with the gravity coming from the Spirit Realm.

But it was only a balance.

If an outsider wanted to lift Lin Yuan,

they needed at least the strength to lift a twenty-six million li radius Internal World.

And just how heavy was a twenty-six million li radius Internal World?

It was probably heavier than several stars combined.

Compared to Lin Yuan's strange expression,

Dan Yang quickly reacted.

It wasn't that his strength had declined, but rather that Lin Yuan, whom he regarded as a 'little guy' right in front of him, was indeed too heavy.

Heavy to an unimaginably absurd degree.

Heavy to the point of exceeding his strength limit.

Therefore, even when he exerted all his strength to lift him, he still found it hard to shake him by even a fraction.

Not far away,

Li Qing and Nie Yun looked at Lin Yuan and Dan Yang who had fallen into a stalemate.

From their perspective, Lin Yuan was standing quietly there, while Dan Yang had his right hand grabbing the former's shoulder. Just as he was about to soar straight up into the sky, there was a sense of abrupt, screeching termination.

The next moment,

Dan Yang's figure suddenly retreated violently, like a frightened little white rabbit. Stopping next to Li Qing and Nie Yun, he stared at Lin Yuan with extreme solemnity: "Who on earth are you?"

This scene left Li Qing and Nie Yun somewhat bewildered.

Immediately afterwards, the two of them reacted.

Li Qing carefully observed Lin Yuan and discovered that she actually couldn't see through him. The aura emanating from Lin Yuan was in Perfection and flawless, and she simply couldn't pry into anything.

For a moment,

the two Martial Dao seventh-tier powerhouses also realized the severity of the matter.

The power of Qi and blood began to spread and expand, instantly enveloping the entire Martial Temple and Xiaoyao City.

"Who am I?"

Lin Yuan gave a low chuckle, then said: "You don't need to send me up to the Nine Heavens. All these years, my Yin and Yang spirits have been Cultivating there year-round."

The Central Earth Divine Continent World had the Nine Heavens, which was the battlefield where Refining Void Ancient Saints fought.

As for the Spirit Realm, it likewise had the Nine Heavens. Compared to the Central Earth Divine Continent, the Nine Heavens of the Spirit Realm were much more mysterious, containing many 'wonders' that had a guiding effect on comprehending the essence of the world.

Therefore, decades ago, Lin Yuan had already sent his Yang spirit and Yin spirit to the Nine Heavens to comprehend.

"Cultivating in the Nine Heavens?"

Dan Yang and Nie Yun looked at each other, the sense of oppression in their hearts growing even heavier.

Only the seventh-tier or True Immortals had the strength to go to the Nine Heavens, but even then, it was only going there, and they could only make a brief stop.

After a long time, the pressure from the Nine Heavens was not something that the seventh-tier and True Immortals could endure.

As for Cultivating? Presumably, only Tribulation Transcending Stage Immortal Kings had the ability to use the Nine Heavens as a place for Cultivating?

Of course, if it was just for a short period of Cultivation, such as Cultivating for a few months or a few years, a True Immortal Peak expert might still be able to achieve it.

Right now, the two Martial Dao seventh-tier experts simply couldn't figure out Lin Yuan's strength, nor what purpose the other party had in sneaking into the Martial Temple.

"Yin and Yang spirits?"

Li Qing looked at Lin Yuan, somewhat lost in thought.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, Martial Dao practitioners were like carp in a river; who knew how many had been born.

And those Martial Dao practitioners who cultivated to the fifth tier of Martial Dao and condensed a Martial Dao Primordial Spirit were also numerous when added up.

However, the Primordial Spirits condensed by fifth-tier Martial Dao practitioners were bizarre and varied, but in Li Qing's memory, there was only one person whose spirits were called Yin and Yang spirits.

Yin and Yang spirits meant simultaneously cultivating two completely opposite forces. A slight accident would plunge one into a state of irrecoverable damnation.

To fuse Yin and Yang and then condense Yin and Yang spirits—ever since the birth of Martial Dao, only Li Qing's master, that Martial Dao Ancestor, had achieved it.

Beside them, Nie Yun and Dan Yang were in a dilemma, not knowing whether to make a move or not.

If they made a move, the two of them really had no confidence. Dan Yang couldn't shake Lin Yuan by even a fraction with all his strength just now; even if the other party's strength hadn't reached the Tribulation Transcending Stage, it was probably not far off.

With their strength, even with the addition of the seventh-tier Peak Li Qing, they wouldn't gain any advantage. On the contrary, they would completely tear apart their relationship with the other party.

But if they didn't make a move…

Nie Yun and Dan Yang looked at Li Qing, deciding to leave this matter to Ancestor Li to decide.

Yet when they looked at Li Qing, they found that her expression was changing uncertainly, her gaze fixed on Lin Yuan, as if she had words to say but hesitated.

"What is going on?"

Nie Yun and Dan Yang were puzzled and bewildered.

"Xiao Li, it's been so many years, and you're still the same." Lin Yuan smiled slightly, looked at Li Qing, and spoke.

As soon as these words came out,

Li Qing's eyes immediately began to turn red, almost unable to control her emotions, and she subconsciously blurted out two words: "Master."

For hundreds of thousands of years, only the former Lin Yuan had called her that.

Li Qing had almost forgotten that she even had such a 'nickname'.

"Tell me."

"What has happened all these years?"

Lin Yuan casually found a spot and sat down. Over the past hundred years, he had basically been Cultivating. Although through the Martial Temple, he had learned a lot of information about the Spirit Realm and the Moral Immortal Sect,

it certainly wasn't as detailed as what Li Qing, a Martial Dao seventh-tier Peak expert, knew.

"Ah?"

Nie Yun and Dan Yang beside them had their thoughts thrown into some confusion again.

What happened?

Why would Ancestor Li call Lin Yuan 'Master'?

Master? In a flash of lightning, an unimaginable thought popped up in the minds of the two Martial Dao seventh-tier experts.

Li Qing's master was the legendary Martial Ancestor.

Could this little fellow in front of them be the Martial Ancestor who pioneered the Martial Dao?

But how could this be possible?

Wasn't it said that the Martial Ancestor had disappeared long ago?

"You don't all need to stand, sit down." Lin Yuan glanced at Li Qing, Nie Yun, and Dan Yang, and said casually.

Instantly,

an invisible force emerged.

Nie Yun and Dan Yang both subconsciously sat down.

Li Qing also gently sat down in her seat.

"This power?" Nie Yun and Dan Yang felt their scalps go numb.

In front of this invisible force, they completely lacked any ability to resist, and their proud Martial Dao Qi and blood seemed to have failed.

"Martial Ancestor."

"This is the Martial Ancestor."

Nie Yun and Dan Yang were shocked in their hearts. The feeling Lin Yuan gave them at this moment was countless times more powerful than Cangqing Immortal from the Moral Immortal Sect, who was only half a step away from becoming a Tribulation Transcending Immortal King.

"Master."

"You… You've finally returned." Li Qing's eyes were moist. For hundreds of thousands of years, she had never stopped searching for Lin Yuan's whereabouts.

The Moral Immortal Sect said that Lin Yuan had never ascended to the Spirit Realm from the Ascension Platform. It was very likely that he broke through the Lower Realm's boundary barriers and entered the Spirit Realm amidst the turbulence of the Void Realm.

However, this way of entering the Spirit Realm had great uncertainty, and basically would not descend in the East Cloud Dao Province, or even within the range of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

The Spirit Realm was vast and boundless; the Three Thousand Dao Provinces were only a part of it, and much more were barren areas.

"Master?"

"Ancestor Li's form of address is Master?"

The several Grand Elders standing respectfully there were thrown into turbulent shock.

Even though they had already tried their best to overestimate Lin Yuan, they never expected that Lin Yuan would be Ancestor Li's master!

How could this be?

"Martial Ancestor, Chang'er is the Martial Ancestor."

The Great Elder of the Martial Temple trembled in mind and spirit.

Although the scene before them was extremely incredible and how Lin Yuan could have any connection with the Martial Ancestor, Ancestor Li certainly wouldn't lie.

As the legendary Personal Disciple of the Martial Ancestor, Li Qing certainly knew the Martial Ancestor very well and wouldn't mistake the person.

"Back then, I actually thought that Chang'er was born for Martial Dao?"

The Great Elder of the Martial Temple felt his scalp go numb. Such an evaluation was, for any Martial Dao practitioner, a heartfelt affirmation and recognition.

It even had the potential to push Martial Dao to a completely new height…

But if the target was the Martial Ancestor, that wasn't a compliment, but rather blasphemy.

Born for Martial Dao?

Completely wrong.

The entire Martial Dao started because of the Martial Ancestor.

"I encountered some things which caused me to arrive only now." Lin Yuan explained his experience of hundreds of thousands of years in just a few sparse words.

Regarding this, Li Qing and the other three didn't doubt it too much. The Spirit Realm was vast and contained countless mysteries,

and even a Tribulation Transcending Stage Immortal King might be trapped for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years if they stumbled into some trap.

As for why the Martial Ancestor returned under the identity of Lin Yuan, Li Qing didn't doubt it much either. True Immortals at the Dao Integration Stage possessed the means of Corpse-Dissolution Reincarnation, which was also one of the most powerful life-saving methods for True Immortals.

Of course, no matter how many times one reincarnated, the Soul's Lifespan would not increase. True Immortals lived leisurely and freely for hundreds of thousands of years, but once the Soul's Lifespan limit arrived, no amount of Reincarnations would be of any use.

To extend Lifespan, the only way was to attempt Undergoing Tribulation and become an Immortal King.

"It's good that Master can return."

"Everything else doesn't matter." Li Qing's tone was joyful. Through these few sentences of conversation, she was already one hundred percent certain that the Lin Yuan in front of her was her master, that Martial Dao Ancestor of the Central Earth Divine Continent World.

This could be judged from the way of speaking and tone. Li Qing rarely disclosed things about Lin Yuan to outsiders, and many habitual ways were known only to her.

"Master, six thousand years after you disappeared back then, I stepped into the sixth tier of Martial Dao according to the guidance you left behind."

"Not long after, I ascended to the Spirit Realm through the Ascension Platform of the Moral Immortal Sect."

Li Qing began to recount her experiences over these years.

"After ascending to the Spirit Realm, Cangqing Immortal kept his promise and even specifically designated a city to serve as a place to spread Martial Dao."

When Li Qing spoke of Cangqing Immortal, her tone still held some gratitude.

Without Cangqing Immortal and the early protection of the Moral Immortal Sect, a mere sixth-tier Martial Dao practitioner comparable to the Refining Void Stage like her would have to join a faction and risk her life for thousands of years before she could gain a foothold in the Spirit Realm.

It was precisely to repay Cangqing Immortal that Li Qing took the initiative to join under the Moral Immortal Sect and fight campaigns for them.

Of course, the Moral Immortal Sect also paid sufficient remuneration. During the campaigns in the Profound King Domain and other major domains, Li Qing also grew rapidly.

Finally, following one of the twelve paths to step into the seventh tier left behind by Lin Yuan, she chose one to cross into the seventh tier.

After stepping into the seventh tier, Li Qing possessed the right to advance or retreat. As an existence comparable to a True Immortal, she belonged to the absolute upper echelons even within the Moral Immortal Sect.

Thus, Li Qing led the Xiaoyao City Martial Temple, maintaining a cooperative-like manner with the Moral Immortal Sect until today.

Li Qing fought campaigns for the Moral Immortal Sect, while the Moral Immortal Sect protected Xiaoyao City and paid ample remuneration. Li Qing being able to Cultivate all the way to the seventh-tier Peak had no small connection with the Moral Immortal Sect.

"Back then among the other Disciples, you were the only one who stepped into the seventh tier?"

Lin Yuan asked.

He remembered that he had taken in hundreds of Personal Disciples.

Several of them even had the potential to step into the seventh tier.

"Just me alone. Those Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters all perished during the period of breaking through to the seventh tier." Li Qing said with a somewhat disappointed expression.

Breaking through to the seventh tier was not all smooth sailing, especially when Lin Yuan hadn't completely perfected the seventh tier back then and had only left behind a hypothesized situation.

Lin Yuan was able to break through by relying on his own powerful Foundation and Heaven-Defying Comprehension; breaking through to the seventh tier was as easy as eating and drinking for him.

But what about the others?

Li Qing could be considered quite lucky.

Having obtained the support of the Moral Immortal Sect, she finally managed to step into the seventh tier by a fluke.

But the others… didn't have this luck.

In fact, even in the Main World, Evolvers cultivating other evolution paths needed to experience huge risks when crossing from the sixth tier to the seventh tier.

And this was established on the condition of having a complete Evolution Path and guidance from high-tier Evolvers.

Placed in other worlds, it was even more so.

"These two are both Disciples I valued in the Spirit Realm, and they both successfully stepped into the seventh tier later on." Li Qing immediately introduced Nie Yun and Dan Yang.

"Greetings, Martial Ancestor."

"Greetings, Martial Ancestor."

Dan Yang and Nie Yun had somewhat cautious expressions. Ever since they were little, they had heard too many legends of the Martial Ancestor from Li Qing's mouth.

To them, the Martial Ancestor was already close to a myth—with his own strength, he pioneered the Martial Dao Evolution Path, forced the Moral Immortal Sect to yield, and made that Cangqing Immortal take the initiative to negotiate…

Yet now, the Martial Ancestor they adored and revered in their hearts actually appeared right in front of them. The thoughts in the hearts of the two were naturally filled with infinite emotion.

Especially Dan Yang; he had almost fought with the Martial Ancestor just a moment ago, and his heart was filled with even more panic.

"Hmm."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly.

Toward these two Martial Dao juniors, he did not treat them differently. As long as they cultivated Martial Dao, they could all be called his Disciples.

"What about my Big Brother, Second Sister, and my parents?"

Lin Yuan looked at Li Qing once more and asked.

Li Qing's status within the Moral Immortal Sect was not low. Even if she wasn't a direct lineage member of the Immortal Sect, she definitely knew the news of Jun Dongjin, Mu Lianer, and the others.