207: Famous fell from grace

Time quietly flowed by amidst the fierce battles. Three years had passed since Liu Qingtian stepped into the lower levels of Yun Dao Cliff.

During these three years, his figure, shrouded in a hazy dark color, became a terrifying sight in the middle and lower sections of Yun Dao Cliff, striking fear into all who heard of him. He did not rush for quick success but proceeded steadily. Each time he occupied a dao platform, he would stay for a period, digesting what he gained from the battle, adjusting his state to the optimum, and only then challenging the previous occupant.

His opponents came from the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, of various races and countless Dao techniques.

There was a Sun God Child who commanded a glorious great sun and whose words were Law, but he was defeated when Liu Qingtian used the Power of Guixu to dissipate his endless light and heat, leaving himDefeated (Defeated -Disheartened defeated).

There was a Void Phantom adept at shadow traversal and assassination, whose true form was locked down by Liu Qingtian's Dao of Karma, forcing it out of hiding, and its shadow Realm was annihilated with a single palm strike.

There was an Ancient Barbarian Emperor whose Physical Body was immortal and whose strength could shake the stars, but Liu Qingtian used the Myriad Manifestations Returning to Ruin Dao Concept to incite the forces within his body to clash, ultimately leading to the disintegration of his Physical Body and death.

Even more, some laid down astonishing killing formations, drawing upon the Power of the Stars, but they were overwhelmed by Liu Qingtian's more fundamental Guixu Dao Domain, where all techniques fell silent, the formation broke, and the person was injured.

Liu Qingtian did not deliberately seek slaughter, but he showed no mercy in his actions. Prodigies who fell to him either suffered damage to their dao foundation and retreated in despair, or their form and spirit were utterly destroyed, becoming a handful of ashes on this path to ascendancy. His methods were ruthless and decisive, and his application of the power of the Great Dao was exquisitely precise, especially the Power of Guixu, which seemed capable of annihilating everything, leaving an indelible impression on all spectators.

"Ghostly Fiend," "Guixu Demonic Venerable," "Walker of the End"... various titles began to circulate in this Void Realm. No one knew his exact origin, only that he was a formidable character with unfathomable strength and a strange and powerful Dao path.

After three years of battle, Liu Qingtian had already ascended to the middle section of Yun Dao Cliff. The number of dao platforms here sharply decreased, but the strength of their occupants was far superior to those in the lower levels. Each one was a peerless figure capable of stirring up storms in their own great world and having the potential to impact higher Realms.

At this moment, he had just defeated a Golden-Bodied Arhat from the Buddhist Realm. The Arhat displayed his Six-Zhang Golden Body, Buddhist light shone everywhere, and Buddhist chants shook the heavens, but ultimately, Liu Qingtian used the Nirvana Dao Concept to corrode his Golden Body, igniting the karmic fire within him, causing his Golden Body to shatter and him to fall off the cliff in despair.

Liu Qingtian stood on the newly occupied dao platform, adjusting his breathing slightly. Consecutive battles, though not leaving him injured, had greatly depleted his mental energy. He could feel that the Auras emanating from above were becoming increasingly terrifying, especially the dozens closest to the peak, like slumbering primeval beasts, exerting pressure on him no less than Luo Jiuxuan had back then.

"There's still a long way to go..." he murmured to himself, his gaze growing even firmer.

Just then, a peaceful voice sounded from not far beside him.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay your steps."

Liu Qingtian turned his head and saw a young Daoist, dressed in a simple blue robe, with an ordinary face but an exceptionally pure and clear temperament, slowly approaching, treading through the Void Realm. The Daoist had no powerful energy fluctuations or sharp Aura around him, as if he were merely a scholar wandering the mortal world, completely out of place in the Yun Dao Cliff, which was filled with soaring Killing Intent.

However, Liu Qingtian's pupils contracted slightly. To approach within a hundred zhang of him silently without being detected beforehand, this person was definitely not simple.

"What is it?" Liu Qingtian's tone was calm, but he had secretly gathered his magical power.

The blue-robed Daoist stopped ten zhang in front of him, made a Daoist salute, and smiled gently: "This humble Daoist, 'Seeker of the Dao,' greets Fellow Daoist. Observing Fellow Daoist's journey, your Dao techniques are profound, especially your deep comprehension of the wonders of 'Ending' and 'Guixu,' which is truly admirable."

Liu Qingtian neither confirmed nor denied, merely watching him silently.

Seeker of the Dao didn't mind, continuing with a smile: "This humble Daoist has observed this cliff for many years, witnessing countless battles and conflicts, all for fame, fortune, Opportunity, and that elusive chance of transcendence. Yet, it is rare to see someone like Fellow Daoist, with a pure mind, seeking only the Dao. Your demeanor truly impresses this humble Daoist."

"What exactly do you want to say?" Liu Qingtian interrupted him. He disliked such circuitous conversations.

Seeker of the Dao's smile remained, but his eyes grew a bit more serious: "This humble Daoist wishes to discuss the Dao with Fellow Daoist, without resorting to conflict, but merely through the exchange of Dao Heart and Daorhyme (Dao Rhyme), to verify each other's learning. I wonder if Fellow Daoist would be willing to grant me this honor?"

Discuss the Dao? Liu Qingtian raised an eyebrow slightly. On this Yun Dao Cliff, where fighting was constant, for someone to propose such an "elegant" request was truly strange. But he could feel that this person, who called himself "Seeker of the Dao," was not being hypocritical; the pure Dao Rhyme of seeking knowledge around him could not be faked.

Moreover, discussing the Dao with powerful individuals from different paths indeed helps broaden one's horizons and draw inferences. Especially with someone whose Aura is peculiar, seemingly harmless, but actually unfathomable.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Qingtian nodded: "Yes."

Seeker of the Dao's smile grew even wider, like a spring breeze: "Good."

He did not approach, but sat cross-legged in the Void Realm, closing his eyes. The next moment, an indescribable Dao Rhyme emanated from his body. It was not any concrete Law power, but a pure intention of "seeking knowledge," "exploration," and "understanding," as if encompassing all things, yet also transcending them.

Liu Qingtian could feel this Dao Rhyme gently touching his Guixu Dao Domain, not as an attack, but as a gentle inquiry, a curiosity attempting to understand what "ending" truly was.

His heart stirred, and he also closed his eyes, transforming his understanding of "Myriad Phenomena Return to Void" into a unique Dao Rhyme containing the Concepts of nirvana, ending, inclusiveness, and nothingness, slowly releasing it.

Two distinctly different Dao Rhymes quietly converged in the Void Realm.

There was no collision of energy, no roar of Laws. This was an exchange at the level of consciousness, at the essence of the Great Dao.

Liu Qingtian's Guixu Dao Rhyme was domineering and cold, expounding the inevitability of all things eventually heading towards nirvana.

And Seeker of the Dao's Dao Rhyme was gentle and inclusive, like an endless ocean of knowledge, attempting to analyze and understand the meaning of this "ending," to explore the patterns behind it, and even... to ponder whether after "ending," there was "new life" or another form of "existence."

This was a peculiar experience. Liu Qingtian could "see" the other party deconstructing his Dao of Guixu in ways he had never imagined, raising various questions that sparked his own thoughts. Why was Guixu the end? What came after Guixu? Could the Power of Guixu only be used for destruction? Could it be used for "purification"? For "reconstruction"?

Some of these questions Liu Qingtian had already pondered, while others he had never touched upon. In this silent discussion of the Dao, he felt that his understanding of "Guixu" seemed to gain new perspectives, becoming more three-dimensional, no longer merely simple destruction and ending.

And Seeker of the Dao also seemed to gain some enlightenment from Liu Qingtian's pure and ultimate Guixu Dao Concept, and the Dao Rhyme of seeking knowledge around him became even more active and profound.

After an unknown period, both of them opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Seeker of the Dao's eyes sparkled with joy and satisfaction as he bowed again to Liu Qingtian: "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your generosity. This discussion of the Dao has greatly benefited this humble Daoist. Fellow Daoist's Dao, pure and ultimate, has shown this humble Daoist another possibility of the 'Dao.'"

Liu Qingtian also nodded slightly: "Likewise." Although it was only an exchange at the consciousness level, he also felt as if his Dao Heart had been cleansed, shedding some of its ferocity and gaining more depth.

"Fellow Daoist still has a long path ahead, so this humble Daoist shall not disturb you." Seeker of the Dao smiled, his figure slowly drifting backward, gradually disappearing as if merging into the Void Realm, leaving only a faint remark echoing: "May Fellow Daoist ascend to the peak and behold the true Dao."

Liu Qingtian looked in the direction where he disappeared, his gaze profound. This "Seeker of the Dao" was far from simple. His peculiar Dao Rhyme and profound Realm were probably not inferior to any of the top Prodigies here, but he seemed not to be interested in fighting, more like a pure observer and seeker.

"The Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms truly produce countless capable individuals." Liu Qingtian withdrew his gaze, feeling his Dao Heart and Dao Rhyme, which had become more harmonious and transparent after this discussion of the Dao, and his Battle Intent reignited in his eyes.

He looked up at the higher reaches, where even stronger opponents awaited him.

With a step, his figure once again transformed into a dark stream of light, launching a new assault towards the upper regions of Yun Dao Cliff!