68: The Tao, following the natural way, subdues all evil; its true meaning of non-action awes the cosmos.

Lu Qingxuan stepped out from the space behind that "Gate" and returned to the violent energy currents in the core region of the Guixu Sea Eye.

His Nine-Aperture Dao Foundation had been completed, and the Primordial Origin formed a self-sustaining cycle within his body, flowing ceaselessly. He no longer needed to deliberately circulate his Cultivation Technique; a ten-foot radius around him naturally formed its own Realm. Those rushing rivers of energy, twisted folds of space-time, and even the pervasive gravity of the Guixu Sea Eye, upon approaching him, were like streams meeting a deep pool—they naturally merged and calmed, no longer posing the slightest threat.

His aura was restrained, nearly non-existent, as if he had achieved a mysterious harmony with this land of destruction. Between movement and stillness, he implicitly matched the rhythm of heaven and earth, like a needle pinning the sea in this violent Star Sea. Regardless of the turbulent waves outside, he remained unmoved. This was the Realm of Dao Follows Nature—not forcibly resisting, not intentionally distancing, but merging, understanding, and subsequently mastering.

He walked through the Void Realm with a leisurely gait, neither fast nor slow, as if strolling through his own courtyard, admiring the most extreme scene of "destruction" in the Universe. In his eyes, this was not purely an end, but a part of the Universe's cycle, a process of all things returning to their Origin, containing the ultimate truth of "having" emerging from "nothing," and "having" returning to "nothing."

Just as he was about to leave the core region, ripples appeared in the Void Realm ahead. Several powerful and ancient auras suddenly descended, and seven figures manifested, blocking his path.

These seven were completely different from the powers in the periphery. Their auras were obscure and profound, carrying the vicissitudes of accumulated time; they were clearly old monsters who lived in seclusion and possessed heaven-defying cultivation. An old man wearing a star-patterned Daoist robe had eyes that seemed to contain the illusion of galaxies extinguishing and forming; one was burly as a mountain, his skin shimmering with a bronze luster, his blood and Qi as majestic as a Dragon; one was shrouded in hazy Sword Intent, his face unclear, with only a sharp aura piercing into the Divine Soul; a Daoist nun held a jade ruyi, her body wreathed in clear light; a monk stood on auspicious clouds but bore an expression of Evil Qi; an assassin hid in the shadows with an elusive aura; and most eye-catching of all, a white-haired old woman surrounded by faint fragments of time, as if transcending the present world.

The seven individuals' cultivation levels were at least Late Stage Body Integration. Among them, three had reached Peak Body Integration, and that white-haired old woman had even stepped half a foot into the Tribulation Transcendence Stage!

"Young friend, stay your step." The old man in the star-patterned Daoist robe spoke, his voice peaceful yet carrying unquestionable majesty. He was an Elder from the previous generation of the "Star Derivation Sect," Immortal Master Xuanji. "I observe that you, young friend, carry an heaven-shocking Opportunity and have returned safely from behind the 'Gate of Nirvana.' This Gate is of great significance. I ask that you frankly tell us what you saw and heard inside, as well as what you obtained, to avoid triggering unpredictable disasters."

Although the words were polite, the surrounding formation the seven had implicitly formed, along with the seven Divine Senses that locked onto Lu Qingxuan like physical objects, were filled with oppression and threats.

The bronze-skinned strong man's voice was like a booming bell. He was the successor of the "Desolate Ancient Battle Body" lineage, Zhan Qiong: "Boy, enough nonsense! Hand over the treasure, and I will spare your life!"

The figure shrouded in hazy Sword Intent made a sound like metal grinding: "I, Jian, only ask one thing: will you hand it over, or not?" He was an outcast of the "Infinite Sword Domain," Jian Wuya.

The monk grinned hideously: "This Buddha sees that you have an affinity with me; obediently offer up your Opportunity to help me achieve the Dao!"

The assassin in the shadows remained silent, but the killing intent had already locked onto Lu Qingxuan's throat like a venomous snake.

The Daoist nun and the white-haired old woman gazed with profound eyes, observing quietly.

Facing the encirclement of seven peerless experts—all at least Late Stage Body Integration, with three at the Peak and one at the half-step Tribulation Transcendence Stage—Lu Qingxuan's expression remained calm. His gaze swept over the seven of them indifferently, as if he were watching seven wisps of breeze passing over a mountain Peak, unable to stir the slightest ripple in his heart.

He did not get angry, nor did he offer any explanation. He merely shook his head gently, his tone carrying a faint, almost imperceptible trace of regret:

"The Dao is hidden and nameless; only the Dao is good at lending and completing. You all forcibly seek external objects, having already lost your original hearts and deviated from the Dao of Nature, merely increasing your troubles in vain."

Once these words were spoken, they pointed directly to the original heart! Especially for Immortal Master Xuanji and that white-haired old woman, whose cultivation was profound and whose perception of heavenly secrets was deeper, they felt at this moment that Lu Qingxuan's words were like the morning bell and evening drum, striking at the deepest part of their Dao Heart! Were they not deviating from the original intention of "The Dao is hidden and nameless" and "following the course of nature" by struggling to seek Breakthroughs and calculating for Opportunities?

"Arrogant!" Zhan Qiong roared. Unaffected, he attacked directly! He threw a punch, simple and unadorned, yet containing a terrifying, massive force capable of collapsing stars. Wherever the fist wind passed, space shattered inch by inch! — Desolate Ancient Heaven-Shattering Fist!

Jian Wuya drew his sword almost simultaneously. There was no sword light, no sound, only a void Sword Intent that was extremely condensed and capable of severing Karma and fate. It arrived first despite being launched later, pointing directly at the core of Lu Qingxuan's Primordial Spirit! — Infinite Thought-Severing Sword!

The monk offered up a purple-gold alms bowl; the Buddha light mixed with Evil Qi, transforming into a light curtain that covered the heavens and earth, intending to suppress and Seal Lu Qingxuan.

The shadow assassin's figure vanished completely. The next moment, a cold, sharp edge silently stabbed toward the back of Lu Qingxuan's heart.

The Daoist nun waved her jade ruyi, and the clear light transformed into thousands of runic chains, coiling toward him.

The white-haired old woman flicked her finger, and a subtle ripple of time spread out; wherever it passed, all things slowed down.

The seven joined forces, their Divine Abilities distinct, covering strength, Divine Soul, sealing, assassination, Law, and time. They had almost sealed off all paths of retreat, and the power was enough to instantly severely injure or even kill a Tribulation Transcendence Stage Early Stage Cultivator!

However, Lu Qingxuan moved.

He did not unleash any heaven-shaking Divine Ability, nor did he expand that tyrannical Primordial Dao Domain.

He merely raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, and gently pressed against the Void Realm in front of him.

The movement was slow and relaxed, without the slightest trace of worldly aura, as if he were just casually brushing away the thin mist before his eyes.

Governing by doing nothing, Dao Follows Nature.

As his intent flowed, his words became Law, invoking the most original "Nature" Dao between heaven and earth.

That star-collapsing fist force, upon approaching him, seemed to strike into a boundless, soft, and inclusive void; the power was infinitely dispersed and absorbed, ultimately vanishing into nothingness.

That void Sword Intent that severed Karma was like a clay ox entering the sea; it was encompassed and dissolved by an even grander, more essential sense of "existence," failing to stir the slightest ripple.

The Buddha-Evil Qi light curtain that came to suppress him, upon touching the Dao rhyme Domain naturally formed within ten feet of his body, melted away like snow under the sun.

The deadly sharp edge stabbing at his back, when still an inch from his skin, was diverted by an invisible force of flow, sliding to the side.

After the runic chains approached, they lost their spirituality, turning into specks of clear light and dissipating.

That subtle ripple of time lost its effect before the Primordial Dao rhyme naturally flowing around Lu Qingxuan, as if time had lost its meaning on him.

Lu Qingxuan, in the center of this world-destroying siege, walked leisurely, as if strolling in a courtyard. Wherever he passed, all Laws naturally calmed, and all manner of Divine Abilities became empty.

He was not "resisting," but "complying," "guiding," and "dissolving." With a heart of Wuwei, he performed actions where nothing was left undone. This was the embodiment of the Daoist supreme Realm, surpassing simple collision of power and achieving suppression at the level of the Dao Realm!

The absolute killing formation formed by the seven was like a child's game before him. He seemed not to exist on this plane, yet seemed to be everywhere, merging with the core Laws of the entire Guixu Sea Eye.

"This is impossible!" Zhan Qiong's eyes were splitting, unable to accept it.

Jian Wuya's figure fluctuated violently; clearly, his mind had received a massive shock.

The monk's purple-gold alms bowl developed a tiny crack.

The shadow assassin was forced to reveal his form, his face full of horror.

The light of the jade ruyi in the Daoist nun's hand dimmed.

Only Immortal Master Xuanji and the white-haired old woman showed extreme gravity in their eyes, along with a hint of horror after reaching an epiphany.

Immortal Master Xuanji shouted abruptly: "Everyone, stop!"

He looked with an incomparably complex gaze at Lu Qingxuan, who had already walked out of their encirclement with a still-composed back, his voice carrying a trace of trembling and unprecedented awe: "Dao Follows Nature, the true meaning of Wuwei... This child has already obtained the true transmission of the Dao; it is not something we can capture with force. If we continue to entangle ourselves, I fear it will trigger the backlash of the Great Dao, causing our Dao Foundations to collapse!"

The white-haired old woman also slowly closed her eyes and sighed: "I... in him, I saw the shadow of the 'Dao.' Such an existence is no longer a thing of the pond; he cannot be resisted by force, only complied with."

Although Zhan Qiong, Jian Wuya, and the others were filled with unwillingness, seeing that Immortal Master Xuanji and the old woman of time had both said so, and feeling the strange and powerless scene just now, they could only suppress the raging waves in their hearts. They watched helplessly as that figure in the green robe walked further and further away, finally disappearing into the depths of the energy turbulence, with no one daring to strike to stop him again.

The seven reclusive old monsters, whose combined strength was enough to shake the Star Sea, were now collectively speechless, their hearts filled with unspeakable shock and a sense of defeat.

There were no heaven-shaking explosions, no roaring of colliding Laws, only a deeper, despair-inducing... gap in the Dao Realm.

Lu Qingxuan never looked back from beginning to end.

To him, this was merely an insignificant interlude. Like a cool breeze brushing over a mountain ridge, or the bright moon reflecting on a great river, once it passed, it left no trace. His Dao lay in his own Perfection, in resonating with the Universe. External disputes, as long as they did not actively provoke him, were like passing smoke and clouds, not lingering in his heart.

He walked on, his goal clear—to leave the Guixu Sea Eye.