Chapter 305 - 166: Dialogue with a Third Realm Great Cultivator

Chapter 305: Chapter 166: Dialogue with a Third Realm Great Cultivator

"Hahaha, look at you. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll tell you this: the path you’re investigating is the right one. Keep pulling on those threads, and you’ll definitely uncover some interesting things."

He paused, a profound smile gracing his lips. "But do you dare to follow it to the end? When the clues point to people of immense power and influence, where one wrong move could have devastating consequences, will you, the new director of the Lingshan New District, choose to see it through or know when to back off?"

These words were like an icy needle, piercing straight into Yang Wenqing’s heart.

The air inside the stone house seemed to freeze at that moment. Only the faint sound of waves from outside the window and the weak flickering of Spiritual Light from the monitoring terminal served as reminders that time was still passing, and that Du Hong’s ambush on the shoals was quietly drawing to a close.

The two of them locked eyes for more than ten seconds before Yang Wenqing suddenly asked, "Last time, in the alley, you mentioned the ’universe.’ The path of cultivation is long and boundless. What is the relationship between the Great Dao we seek and this vast universe? Why do we cultivate in the first place?"

He had always wanted to ask his master this question but, for some reason, had never brought himself to do it. He never expected to ask it now, in front of this Taiyan Cultivator’s puppet. The question was born from a sudden impulse, yet it didn’t feel sudden at all.

The question seemed to catch the puppet by surprise. The mockery in its eyes faded, replaced by a deep, scrutinizing gaze, as if it were seeing something through Yang Wenqing that it had long been waiting for.

"The universe..."

The puppet repeated the word, its voice tinged with an ineffably complex emotion. "All the Cultivators in this world, whether they seek long life, power, authority, or transcendence, no matter which path they walk, are all ultimately, whether consciously or not, accumulating, exploring—or rather, struggling—for the same purpose."

He paused, his tone growing even more profound. "Countless geniuses of stunning talent have lain dormant for millennia, all perhaps seeking just a sliver of a chance at that one slim possibility."

Yang Wenqing pressed, "And what is that?"

The puppet didn’t answer directly. Instead, it asked with great interest, "When your Cultivation reaches a certain realm, what is it that you seek?"

The question took Yang Wenqing aback. Then, a clear answer surfaced from the depths of his consciousness, and he blurted it out instinctively, "To... advance?"

"Exactly!" The puppet slapped its palm, a fanatical gleam unknowingly appearing on its face. "Advancement."

Its voice suddenly rose, carrying a force that could pierce the soul. "But the problem is that the path of cultivation in this world, at least within the known framework, has an ’end.’"

"But!" The puppet’s tone shifted, a strange light glinting in its eyes. "Our Cultivation, our intuition, that indestructible spark of Spiritual Light deep within our consciousness—they all constantly tell us that there is still a path ahead. That power has no end. That life should not stop here."

"The constant arrival of beings from the Outer Realm has also proven our suspicions. This is the true struggle for the Great Dao! This is the grand endeavor that countless sages have schemed for, lying dormant for ten thousand years!"

He suddenly stopped, his gaze focusing once more on Yang Wenqing. "That is why I need geniuses. Countless geniuses to storm the gates of the true Great Dao!"

Just then, a smile appeared on its face, but its expression suddenly froze for an instant. The profound light in its eyes faded rapidly, as if some power that had been supporting this body from a great distance was quickly dissipating.

The next moment, the middle-aged fisherman’s body swayed violently. His eyes lost all their light, becoming completely vacant. Then, he fell backward, stiff as a board, and hit the ground with a THUD, becoming utterly still.

Yang Wenyuan immediately rushed forward to check. He felt for a pulse on the man’s neck, then quickly checked his pupils and vital signs. He then shook his head at Yang Wenqing and said in a low voice, "He’s dead. No signs of life."

The stone house fell silent once more. Only the rapidly cooling body on the floor proved that the heart-stopping conversation moments ago had not been a hallucination.

Yang Wenyuan looked at the pensive Yang Wenqing, his face filled with worry.

He hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice to give a warning. "Patriarch, the City Defense System archives have records of many talented guards who were bewitched by these heretical cultivators. They ended up losing themselves, defecting from Wanxuan, and even betraying their families and sects..."

His voice was laced with lingering fear and urgency. "You can’t believe a word they say! It’s all just a trick to bewitch people’s minds!"

His brother’s words pulled Yang Wenqing back to reality. Seeing the anxiety in his eyes, he smiled—a smile that held a clarity born from deep contemplation.

"Wenyuan, don’t worry."

He patted Yang Wenyuan’s shoulder. "I didn’t get to where I am today by daydreaming, but by taking one solid step at a time. The Great Dao is certainly alluring, but it’s more important to stand firm on the path beneath our feet. Whether those words just now were true or not, they concern matters far beyond our reach. Right now, we need to focus on handling what’s in front of us."

His expression turned serious as he instructed, "What was just said stays between you and me. Don’t mention it to anyone, not the brothers outside, and not anyone in the family. Understand?"

"Understood!"

Seeing that Yang Wenqing’s eyes were clear and his thoughts were lucid, Yang Wenyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Wenqing temporarily pushed the startling revelations to the back of his mind. He looked at the fisherman’s corpse and said to Yang Wenyuan, "Go contact Director Chu. Tell him what happened here and have him bring people to recover this body."

Yang Wenyuan nodded. He knew what could be said and what couldn’t. This was the advantage of having one of your own people by your side.

The people from Internal Affairs Inspection hadn’t arrived, but the battle below had already begun.

Just then, three small, crudely built speedboats emerged like ghosts from the dark surface of the sea, gliding silently toward the shoals.

The instant the bow of the first boat was about to touch the sand...

HUM!

Several pale golden beams of light suddenly shot up from the crevices of the reefs surrounding the shoals, instantly weaving together into a massive net of light that enveloped the small boats and the figures who had just leaped from them.

It was the confinement Array that Du Hong had set up in advance.

The moment the net of light appeared, the Spiritual Light that had just flared up around the seven or eight Qi Cultivators seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force. It dimmed abruptly, and their movements became sluggish.

"Fire!"

Du Hong’s low command came through the communicator.

The next moment, the police station guards lying in ambush in the reef area and hidden on the nearby cliffs opened fire simultaneously. Beams of light fired from their standard-issue runic rifles rained down like a sudden storm, precisely covering the smugglers trapped within the net of light.

The battle was almost completely one-sided.

Without the enhancement of their Spiritual Qi, these Qi Cultivators, though physically stronger than ordinary people, were still incredibly vulnerable under the dense barrage of fire.

Screams of pain, furious roars, and the sickening thuds of bodies being pierced all mixed together.

Some tried to activate protective Magical Artifacts or Talismans, but under the interference of the confinement Array, their effects were greatly diminished; their light flickered a few times before shattering. Others bravely tried to charge the Array’s core or break out, only to be immediately focused down by concentrated fire and riddled with holes in an instant.

In just two or three short minutes, the battle was already nearing its end. Within the area enveloped by the net of light, only sporadic resistance and groans remained.

Du Hong led his men out from their hiding places and began to clean up the battlefield.

Inside the stone house, Yang Wenqing watched all of this unfold quietly, feeling no great joy in his heart. After a long moment, his Communication Array activated, and Du Hong’s excited voice came through. "Director, we killed six and severely wounded one! He’s still breathing. We only have two with minor injuries!"

"Well done, Chief Du." Yang Wenqing replied in a steady voice. "Immediately secure the heavily wounded survivor. Be careful he doesn’t commit suicide or have some other kind of Restriction on him."

"Yes, Director!"

Du Hong shouted in reply, brimming with motivation.

Yang Wenqing ended the communication, his gaze once again sweeping over the busy scene below and the distant, moonlit surface of the sea, which held a strange tranquility.

And just then, a flash of Spiritual Light appeared at the doorway, revealing the figure of Yang Wenqing’s master, Qin Huaiming.