Chapter 713: An Exchange Of Dao (I)

On Wu Di's island in the Chaotic Star Sea, the great hall previously used to receive guests had been destroyed during the battle, so Wu Di offered up the cave dwelling where he cultivated in seclusion. It was his honor to have two mighty Nascent Soul realm experts grace his cave dwelling with their presence. Wu Di had absolutely no objections. Even if he did, he had to keep them to himself.

Outside the cave dwelling, Wu Di, Kong Yujing, and the other demonic cultivators waited quietly, their expressions complicated and uneasy. Wu Di and Kong Yujing exchanged glances, delight flashing through both their eyes. They had never expected to find themselves under the protection of a mighty Nascent Soul realm expert. Judging by appearances, this expert was even stronger than the Nascent Soul realm Sect Master of the Evilheart Sect.

As for the Evilheart Sect demonic cultivators who had yet to acknowledge a new master, all they felt was fear and hope that Lin Zheyu would accept them. They had not yet pledged themselves to this mysterious demonic cultivator expert and were therefore still considered members of the Evilheart Sect. Now that the Sect Master had appeared, there was a considerable chance that the mysterious expert would abandon them and hand them over to the Sect Master for punishment. If that happened, they would be in grave danger.

The atmosphere outside the cave dwelling was rather tense. Inside, however, everything appeared relaxed and cordial. Lin Zheyu and Cao Hongchang sat opposite each other, leisurely sipping Lin Zheyu's inferior spirit tea like two old friends reunited after many years.

Cao Hongchang took a sip and offered an insincere compliment. "This spirit tea is quite good."

Lin Zheyu smiled and refilled Cao Hongchang's cup. "If you enjoy it, have some more, fellow friend. I still have plenty on hand. Would you like to buy some to take with you? I can give you a discount."

The cup before Lin Zheyu himself had remained untouched from beginning to end. He had not even glanced at it. The smell alone was enough to tell him that it was inferior spirit tea. He was rather short on funds, having exchanged most of his spirit stones for cultivation resources to increase his strength further. He could not bear to waste spirit stones on a luxury like spirit tea.

Lin Zheyu did have some fine spirit tea in his storage pouch, which he had wrangled from Wang Zhengtian last time. He simply could not bear to take it out for Cao Hongchang to enjoy. The tea he had just brewed had been dug out from the storage pouch of some unfortunate fellow he had casually killed along the way.

Cao Hongchang was rendered somewhat speechless and gained a deeper appreciation of just how unpleasant this mysterious demonic cultivator expert's personality was.

Suppressing his disgust, Cao Hongchang thanked him with a smile. "You're too kind, fellow friend."

He needed something from Lin Zheyu. His attempt to achieve his objective through force had just failed, so he could only seek a transaction instead.

Lin Zheyu's expression cooled as he asked indifferently, "May I ask what brings you here? Surely you weren't simply in a foul mood and looking for someone to vent your anger on, only to happen upon me?"

Cao Hongchang didn't know how to respond and gave Lin Zheyu an impassive glance, thinking, Do you really have no idea why I came here?

If he had remained in seclusion any longer, the Evilheart Sect he had painstakingly established would have been emptied out entirely.

"This matter was merely a misunderstanding. Several disciples of the Evilheart Sect inexplicably betrayed the sect, so I came to bring them back and ask why they defected. None of that matters now, however. Why don't we put the matter behind us?" Cao Hongchang said meaningfully.

His words subtly pointed out that Lin Zheyu had provoked the matter first and that he had acted with good reason. At the same time, by proposing they put it behind them, he made it clear he would no longer pursue Kong Yujing and the others. This was Cao Hongchang's way of extending an olive branch.

"Haha, so that's how it was. You're remarkably straightforward, nothing like one of us from the Yao Dao. Your self-restraint is truly admirable," Lin Zheyu said with a hearty laugh.

Cao Hongchang wanted to obtain his method of resolving the erosion caused by yao will, while Lin Zheyu was equally interested in the secret art Cao Hongchang had just used. He studied Cao Hongchang with great interest.

Cao Hongchang remained remarkably rational. Lin Zheyu had repeatedly tested and deliberately provoked him, yet to his surprise, the man had endured it all without revealing the slightest trace of savagery or malice in his aura.

This was somewhat beyond Lin Zheyu's expectations. Were it not for the terrifying demonic qi surging within Cao Hongchang, he might have suspected that the man was also merely posing as a demonic cultivator.

Could he have found a way to deal with the yao will, allowing his spirit and spiritual soul to remain pure despite their erosion? If so, obtaining that secret art from him would be somewhat troublesome, Lin Zheyu mused inwardly.

The Heavenly Eye deep within his sea of consciousness had remained open ever since he discovered Cao Hongchang. Radiating brilliant golden light, it stared intently at Cao Hongchang, attempting to see through him and uncover his secrets.

Unfortunately, a Nascent Soul realm cultivator was still a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Unless Cao Hongchang completely lowered the defenses surrounding his body, sea of consciousness, and Nascent Soul, as the Xu Family Ancestor had, even Lin Zheyu's spiritual Heavenly Eye would struggle to see through him completely.

"My technique is merely somewhat unusual. You are the one who truly astonishes me. If all the methods you employed had not belonged to demonic cultivators, and if the purity of your demonic qi were not even comparable to my own, I would have suspected that you were not a demonic cultivator at all," Cao Hongchang said calmly.

This was no mere flattery. He had not noticed it during their battle, but now that everything had calmed down, Cao Hongchang discovered that he could not detect the slightest demonic aura from Fellow Xiao Zhe.

Cao Hongchang suddenly frowned as a faint sense of discomfort arose within him. After being secretly observed by Lin Zheyu for so long, even the dullest perception would have noticed that something was amiss. Although he did not know where the feeling came from, he immediately took precautions.

Did he notice...? Lin Zheyu muttered inwardly.

A moment earlier, vast amounts of black mist had abruptly surged from Cao Hongchang's body, blocking the scrutiny of his Heavenly Eye.

"It's nothing more than a minor trick, hardly worth mentioning." Lin Zheyu waved his hand with a smile while secretly considering how to obtain Cao Hongchang's technique.

Just as his thoughts raced in search of an opening, Cao Hongchang spoke first.

"Among cultivators who practice demon arts and walk the Yao Dao, those capable of reaching our level are exceedingly rare. The Nascent Soul realm is effectively the limit of the Yao Dao. Taking another step forward carries the risk of transforming completely into a yao and losing oneself. As demonic cultivators standing at the pinnacle of the Yao Dao, we should unite, support one another, and openly exchange our cultivation insights. Only then might we obtain a chance to break through to the Deity Transformation realm, perhaps even transcend the Yao Dao altogether. What do you think, fellow friend?" Cao Hongchang asked slowly, his expression calm.

After speaking, he habitually raised his teacup and took a sip. His brow furrowed involuntarily before he set it down again.

This taste is truly awful...

Accustomed to drinking the finest spirit tea, Cao Hongchang found such inferior tea almost impossible to swallow.

"Hehe, great minds think alike." Lin Zheyu's eyes brightened slightly as he voiced his agreement. He had been wondering how to obtain Cao Hongchang's technique, only for the man to present him with the perfect opportunity.

"Since you made this proposal, why don't you take the lead? Although the secret art you used earlier was rather unremarkable in power, it was quite interesting. Would you care to explain its workings to me?" Lin Zheyu narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled at Cao Hongchang.

Cao Hongchang fell silent for several breaths before answering solemnly, "Very well!"

This technique was closely tied to his primary cultivation technique. Even if other demonic cultivators learned the principles behind it, they would never be able to master it. To coax information from Xiao Zhe concerning his secret for resolving the erosion caused by yao will, Cao Hongchang was willing to accept this small loss.

"You must know a great deal about the Evilheart Sect, and presumably have some understanding of the Evilheart Demon-Subduing Art that I cultivate. That secret art is one of the most powerful techniques within the Evilheart Demon-Subduing Art. To perform it, one must..." Cao Hongchang slowly explained as faint black mist seeped from his body.

Knowing that he had to offer something valuable to obtain what he wanted, Cao Hongchang explained the art in considerable detail. Apart from a few crucial secrets, he held nothing back and shared everything he knew. He even answered the questions Lin Zheyu raised along the way. Occasionally, Lin Zheyu offered insights and ideas of his own that caused Cao Hongchang's eyes to brighten.

Why didn't I think of that before? If this is the case... This man's understanding of the Yao Dao, along with his insights into its integration with the Immortal Dao and even other cultivation systems, far surpasses my own, Cao Hongchang thought after hearing the idea Lin Zheyu had just proposed.

It was no longer a one-sided explanation. Gradually, their conversation transformed into an exchange on the Dao. Lin Zheyu's attainment in the Yao Dao had not reached the Nascent Soul realm. Even the insights Cao Hongchang casually mentioned often brought him sudden clarity, as though the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.

Thus, Lin Zheyu gradually set aside his ulterior motives and immersed himself in their exchange on the Dao. To avoid exposing his shallow attainment in the Yao Dao, the insights he shared focused primarily on integrating multiple cultivation systems. This happened to be precisely what Cao Hongchang needed, and the two found themselves in perfect accord.

Time passed slowly. Outside the cave dwelling, the sun rose and set as day gave way to night and back again. Wu Di and the others waited quietly outside, neither daring to enter nor move even half a step away.