Zhang Mingyuan arrived inside the Heavenly Dao space.
Unlike the solemn, gold-illuminated, and deathly silent hall that outside cultivators imagined, the space here was alive.
One second, the void beneath his feet was as calm as a deep mirror of black water, reflecting the orbits of the stars across the heavens; the next second, the entire space seemed to boil, surging like a vast ocean.
Mingyuan wiped the scent of alcohol from his face, his gaze quickly sweeping over his surroundings.
Deep within the space, a towering giant tree woven from pure laws floated in the air.
Hanging from its branches were numerous Concentric Locks.
The vast majority of them were already dim and lusterless, some even marred by cracks.
Zhang Mingyuan's gaze locked onto the highest and brightest lock.
Carved onto that Concentric Lock were his and Su Jinxue's names.
It shone with a brilliant golden light, symbolizing the Heavenly Marriage they had just concluded, as well as the karmic ties that bound their destinies.
Looking at that lock, Zhang Mingyuan felt a sudden, sharp pang in his heart.
Despite such a bright lock, that foolish woman was about to die.
He shifted his gaze from the Concentric Lock to a colossal object beside the giant tree.
It was an array tower constructed from countless profound formations—the spiritual jade “server” that Zhang Mingyuan had cobbled together back then to support the operation of the entire Xuanling Realm's spiritual jade network.
A trace of an extremely familiar frosty aura still lingered on the tower.
“Little Xuexue...” Zhang Mingyuan clenched his fists.
“Heavenly Dao, get out here!”
Zhang Mingyuan threw his head back and shouted toward the massive, slowly rotating divine wheel in the depths.
There was no response.
The massive, indifferent Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel continued to turn slowly according to its eternal, unchanging laws.
It did not seem to care in the slightest about Zhang Mingyuan, the intruder.
Zhang Mingyuan gnashed his teeth, swaying unsteadily as he pointed at the divine wheel.
“I'll say it one more time. Get out here!”
The divine wheel remained as it was.
“Old Zhang! You bastard!”
An exasperated, furious shout came from behind him.
A spatial rift tore open once more. Lingxuzi emerged with his robes in disarray, the Taoist bun atop his head completely undone.
As soon as he stepped through, he saw that Zhang Mingyuan was merely standing there shouting and had not actually made a move yet.
The heart that had leaped into his throat finally settled halfway back down.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness. He hasn't slashed yet...”
He quickly rushed over to Zhang Mingyuan in three steps, grabbing his arm tightly.
“Are you out of your mind?! What kind of place do you think this is? This is the Heavenly Dao space!”
“Yelling and shouting here, do you have a death wish?!”
Zhang Mingyuan shook off Lingxuzi's hand and tilted his head, staring up at the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel.
“If it won't come out, I'll force it out. If it doesn't give me a way to save Little Xuexue today, this isn't over.”
“Force it? With what, your mouth?!”
Lingxuzi stomped his feet in anxiety.
“If you're asking for a favor, can you at least act like it?”
“The Heavenly Dao is the will of the Xuanling Realm, an unspeakable, supreme existence!”
“With that attitude of yours, how are you any different from a mortal shrew screaming in the streets?!”
Lingxuzi took a deep breath, straightened his disheveled robes, and bowed deeply and respectfully toward the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel above.
“Heavenly Dao above, my brother's Dao companion is hanging by a thread. He is overcome with grief, and the alcohol has clouded his mind.”
“He has offended your divine majesty, but I hope the Heavenly Dao can show forbearance. We have come today only to seek a sliver of hope for survival...”
Lingxuzi was attempting to move the Heavenly Dao with a humble posture.
“Old Xu, move aside.”
“What are you doing?” Lingxuzi stumbled back as he was pushed.
Zhang Mingyuan reached back into the void and flipped his wrist.
Clang—
A piercing sword hum tore through the silence of the Heavenly Dao space.
A massive sword, covered in rust and looking as ugly as a piece of scrap metal, was now held in Zhang Mingyuan's hand.
This sword was none other than the one that could terrify even the Emperor's shadow back into his coffin.
Its name was “Dog Slaughterer.”
With the appearance of Dog Slaughterer, the waves of laws—whether calm or surging—instantly froze.
Even the Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel, which had rotated since ancient times, emitted a very faint creak at this moment, its movement becoming sluggish.
“Holy shit!”
Lingxuzi's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
“Old Zhang, you're insane! Put that thing away, quick!”
Did this guy have any idea what he was doing?
Did he really think that just because the Heavenly Dao had bestowed a marriage upon them and showered them with merit, it was some soft-hearted clay bodhisattva that was easy to talk to?!
That was the Heavenly Dao! The ruler of the Xuanling Realm!
“Heavenly Dao!”
Zhang Mingyuan raised “Dog Slaughterer,” swaying back and forth as he pointed the tip of his sword directly at the massive divine wheel above.
“I'll count to three. If you still don't get your ass out here to see me...”
“I'm going to slash your divine wheel to pieces today!”
The moment those words left Zhang Mingyuan's mouth, Lingxuzi felt his scalp tingle and his hands and feet go ice-cold.
It was over. Everything was over.
Run!
He had to rush to Myriad Snow Palace and bring Su Jinxue here immediately!
In the entire Xuanling Realm right now, no one but Su Jinxue could hold back this mad dog!
Just as Lingxuzi turned around to tear open space and flee, praying in his heart that the world-destroying tribulation lightning the Heavenly Dao brought down wouldn't strike him as well, a sudden change occurred.
Hum—
The massive, previously silent Heavenly Dao Divine Wheel above began to rotate violently.
Immediately after, a blinding light erupted from the center of the divine wheel, and a strand of extremely pure, primordial purple energy separated from the wheel, falling down like a shooting star.
The purple energy touched the ground, and the light dissipated.
A middle-aged man dressed in a violet-gold robe with an exceptionally majestic countenance appeared before them.
He radiated a brilliant divine majesty that defied direct gaze, and every gesture he made was accompanied by the resonance of Dao charm.
The laws of the entire space hummed in submission at his appearance.
This was the concrete incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
Lingxuzi's legs went soft, and he nearly fell straight to his knees.
It was over. The Heavenly Dao was truly enraged, and its true body had actually manifested!
Just as he was about to flee to Myriad Snow Palace to fetch the “Tathagata Buddha”—the expression of that majestic, high-and-mighty incarnation of the Heavenly Dao suddenly changed.
His eyes locked onto the rusty, massive sword in Zhang Mingyuan's hand.
His originally majestic face instantly stretched into a wide smile.
“Hold on, brother!”
The middle-aged man took a sudden step forward.
“Put away that divine weapon, put away that divine weapon! We can talk this out nicely!”
A deathly silence fell over the Heavenly Dao space.
Only the faint sound of clashing law chains could be heard.
Zhang Mingyuan held up his sword, tilting his head with a "you should have done this sooner" expression.
As for Lingxuzi, he remained frozen in his runner's stance, completely petrified.
He slowly turned his head, staring at the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, who was now beaming with smiles and calling Zhang Mingyuan “brother.”
With a loud buzz in his brain, his entire worldview shattered to pieces at this moment.
What was going on?!
Not only had the Heavenly Dao been threatened into showing itself by Zhang Mingyuan with a broken sword, but it also had to politely try to get on his good side?!
Was this still that high-and-mighty Heavenly Dao that viewed all things as straw dogs?!
“What did you call me?” Zhang Mingyuan narrowed his eyes, his grip on the sword not loosening in the slightest.
“Brother!”
The incarnation of the Heavenly Dao rubbed his hands together, forcing a sycophantic smile onto his majestic face.
“Haven't we been in touch for a long time? Look, that 'spiritual jade server' you cobbled together—I was the one who tacitly approved its construction!”
“When you wanted to get married, I even issued you a 'Marriage Certificate'! To celebrate on your wedding day, I even bestowed merit upon you!”
“We're all on the same side here. Put the sword down. If you have any difficulties, your big brother will definitely help you solve them!”
Seeing this, Lingxuzi's mouth fell even wider open...
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