245: A clear understanding of the Dao

The others also seemed to notice Ye Hao's abnormality.

The few of them walked over and followed Ye Hao's gaze toward the scene inside the prison.

"So that's it... so that's it!" Zhao Xu's pupils contracted, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his teeth ground audibly as he subconsciously took a step back. At this moment, he finally understood why that Demoness had such intense killing intent that day.

He also suddenly realized one thing!

If it weren't for the two Seniors beside him taking action, would the people locked up in this prison be the faces he knew—his mother... and the elders and villagers of Pingquan Village?

At this moment, all color drained from Zhao Xu's face. Shock, fear, anger, and powerlessness interwove, giving him an expression too complex to describe.

The previous thoughts gnawed at his mind like venomous snakes, and his Dao Heart was on the verge of collapsing!

It wasn't until Li Pingan heavily slapped him on the shoulder that Zhao Xu finally let out a heavy breath.

"This... this Chusheng Sect, as one of the Three Great Sects, actually committed such heinous acts behind the scenes."

Lin Xiuqin voiced the confusion in everyone's hearts: "Why... why would they do this? Aren't they afraid of the truth being exposed? Once this scene is made public, the entire Sect will become rats scurrying across the street!"

Zhao Jingchen frowned, clenching his fists: "This matter absolutely cannot be tolerated! When we return to Tianque Sect, we will immediately report this to Revered Master. Tianque Sect definitely won't stand idly by. If we join forces with the Five Elders Gate then, Chusheng Sect will surely face total destruction!"

In this land, what Cultivators hate most is the mischief of the Yao Race, and what they are most proud of are the merits gained from Slaying Demons and Vanquishing Devils.

Once the Chusheng Sect's actions—harming Mortals and refining Half-human, Half-demon beings—are exposed, the Sect Cultivators will find it impossible to move in the Rain God Continent, becoming rats that everyone shouts at and beats.

While everyone was lost in thought and deeply shocked, Half-human, Half-demon beings were being escorted up the stairs from below. These people either hung their heads numbly or sobbed softly, the parts of their bodies that were not human glowing particularly harshly in the dim light.

They passed through the bodies of the four people, including Ye Hao, and were escorted into various cells.

If one examined them closely, the presence of the Slave Seal could be found on all these people.

Obviously... after the Chusheng Sect kidnapped these villagers, they first used certain methods to brand Slave Seals onto their Divine Souls, and then used that Evil Pill to transform them into this state, thus allowing them to completely control these pitiful people.

Ye Hao already had a rough guess in his heart.

Just then, his gaze suddenly focused on the figure at the end of the line, recognizing another familiar person.

The woman had very heroic features, a high nose bridge, pale lips, and a small black mole on the left side of her mouth.

But at this moment, she was dragging a scaled snake tail, her eyes vacant like a puppet. She was none other than the Revered Master Miss Su had been desperately searching for!

A Cultivator escorting them seemed annoyed that she was walking slowly and kicked her in the lower back. The woman fell heavily into the cell. Yun Xuanxuan seeing this, immediately rushed forward to help her up, glaring fiercely at the Cultivator, but she could only suppress her anger due to the disparity in cultivation base.

This moment!

Countless images suddenly surged through Ye Hao's mind. His sleeves fluttered without wind, creating a series of Spiritual Qi ripples.

When encountering injustice, one can draw a sword, but in this Cultivation World, are there only one or two injustices in the world? Must he intervene in every single one?

Ye Hao knew that what he saw today was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Cultivation World.

But Revered Master once said that cultivating immortality is not about cultivating the Great Dao of Longevity, nor is it about being desireless and inactive. If it truly became like that, how would it be different from the Heavenly Dao?

Cultivating immortality means cultivating beyond the Great Dao, so that I may follow the desires of my heart, free from any restraint.

Wang Wu, who used Evil Techniques to cultivate immortality but was thankful he could save his little sister; Miss Su, with her Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation base, crossing two continents alone to search for her Revered Master; that Demoness who saved Pingquan Village but was driven away by the villagers with stones, yet showed no malice toward them; and the Half-human, Half-demon beings currently whimpering softly, huddled in the corners of the cages.

Scene after scene exploded like thunder, instantly splitting apart the fog in Ye Hao's heart!

The confusion on his cultivation path and his hesitation regarding the direction of the Great Dao all vanished at this moment.

He now had only one intense thought: to become stronger.

The moment his mind settled, the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth suddenly boiled!

Centered on Ye Hao, invisible Spiritual Qi began to gather frantically, forming a visible vortex of Spiritual Qi. The surrounding air slightly trembled due to the surge of Spiritual Power. His cultivation base, which had been stagnant for a long time, showed a clear upward trend at this moment!

Li Pingan was the first to notice the anomaly. He abruptly turned to look at Ye Hao. Junior Brother... is he going to Form a Nascent Soul?

Inside Ye Hao's Dantian, the Golden Core began to tremble violently, and thick Spiritual Power fluctuations spread out from him. With a soft "crack," a tiny fissure actually burst open on the originally flawless Golden Core!

"Is Young Master Ye about to Break through?"

Zhao Jingchen's expression changed abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"The catalyst for this Breakthrough... could it really be because of these common folk down the mountain?"

Lin Xiuqin on the side had already lost her composure, covering her mouth, her eyes filled with shock.

Lin Xiuqin on the side had already lost her composure, covering her mouth, her eyes wide open, too shocked to speak. Zhao Xu also recovered and quickly reminded them:

"This is the Demon Suppressing Tower. Too much commotion might alert the Sect... the people from Chusheng Sect!"

Before he finished speaking, Lin Xiuqin took out a Golden Hairpin from her storage ring, instantly concealing the aura.

Before he finished speaking, Lin Xiuqin slightly raised her cultivation base, moved her fingertip, and an intricately carved Golden Hairpin flew out.

The hairpin hovered in mid-air, emitting a soft golden light, instantly forming an invisible barrier that tightly enveloped Ye Hao's Breakthrough aura, isolating the Spiritual Power fluctuations from spreading outward.

This was a Heaven-Earth Boundary Magic Treasure used for concealing Vital Energy.

Besides concealing auras, it was useless for anything else. But correspondingly, its effect was much better.

The next moment!

Inside the barrier, the Golden Core in Ye Hao's Dantian continuously contracted and spun according to the circulation of Spiritual Power. Dazzling golden light spilled out from around him, illuminating Ye Hao as if he were a Divine Being.

The cracks on the Golden Core grew more numerous and deeper, looking as if it would shatter completely in the next instant.

"Buzz—!"

A faint hum sounded, and the Golden Core finally shattered completely, turning into golden brilliance filling the air. Wrapped by thick Spiritual Power, this golden brilliance slowly condensed into shape.

A three-inch-tall Nascent Soul hovered within the Dantian. Its features were identical to Ye Hao's, but its eyes were clearer and firmer than his own—it was the embodiment of his Dao Heart and Divine Thought, the crystallization of his resolve for the Great Dao!

Unbeknownst to them, Ye Hao had already sat cross-legged in front of the prison cell, spiritual light flowing around him.

Li Pingan, Zhao Jingchen, Lin Xiuqin, and Zhao Xu exchanged glances, and without prior discussion, they stood around him solemnly to act as Protectors.