Chapter 924: The Real Great Dao Sect
Chapter 924: The Real Great Dao Sect
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Great Dao Sect, Li Qing’s face contorted in horror as he watched the Longevity Fruit before him flicker from solid to ethereal, on the verge of vanishing completely.
Instinct took over, and he lunged forward, his hand grasping at empty air, desperate to seize it, to keep it from fading away.
For ten long years, he had wielded the terrifying power of the Scripture of Reversing Order, steadily corrupting the female cultivators of the Great Dao Sect and binding them to his will.
He had even handpicked female disciples of exceptional talent, secretly grooming them for his own purposes.
As a result, female cultivators now occupied a staggering eighty percent of the seats on the Great Dao Sect’s council of elders.
The sect’s disciples reflected a similar imbalance; the women now dominated the men in both numbers and skill, completely eclipsing them.
Though the sect’s Longevity cultivators had eventually sensed that something was deeply wrong...
But by then, the momentum was unstoppable. To eradicate Li Qing’s faction would be more than just a crippling blow to the Great Dao Sect...
For the sake of the sect's survival, and after several tense negotiations, both sides finally reached a compromise.
Li Qing's past transgressions would be overlooked, and his future actions would not face excessive interference. In return, he had to guarantee that the male cultivator population would be maintained at a certain ratio and that the purity of newly initiated female disciples would be protected.
As part of the agreement, a portion of the Longevity Fruits was to be allocated to Li Qing and his followers.
The Longevity Fruit, which grew upon the mythical Ruo Tree.
It was a treasure jointly managed by the Ten Great Sects, for a single fruit could allow a cultivator to achieve the Longevity stage.
Today was the day Li Qing was finally meant to reap the rewards of his efforts, the moment he would receive his promised Longevity Fruit.
And yet, at this critical juncture, it was dissolving into nothing right before his eyes!
How could Li Qing possibly accept this, after ten years of painstaking scheming and relentless effort?
"No!"
Li Qing’s composure finally shattered, and he let out a furious roar.
"Don’t just stand there, help me!"
But for all his impotent fury, he could do nothing to stop the Longevity Fruit from dissipating.
Li Qing spun around instinctively, shouting at the partners gathered in the hall.
But that one glance sent a chill down his spine, making his blood run cold.
For in that hall, the dozen or so Dao Integration cultivators—including his master, Huo Jingtong—were all staring at him in perfect, unnerving unison.
And...
Their gazes were nothing like the affectionate looks he was used to. They were utterly alien, unsettlingly strange.
It was as if, in a single instant, their souls had been swapped out for something else.
As the tremors shaking the Great Dao Sect grew more violent, Li Qing felt an overwhelming sensation: the eyes of every cultivator, from the highest elder to the newest disciple, were now fixed upon him.
"This..."
Even for someone as audacious as Li Qing, the sight was enough to make him swallow hard and take an involuntary step back.
The hall fell deathly silent.
Without a sound, a figure materialized before Li Qing.
It was Zhao Ruoxi, whom he hadn’t seen in the ten years since she had entered seclusion.
A wave of apprehension washed over Li Qing as he stared at the woman before him—so familiar, and yet so utterly strange.
He was now at the peak of the Dao Integration stage, a single step away from Longevity.
Yet, in the presence of his former Senior Sister Zhao, his spiritual senses blared with frantic warnings.
"What’s happening?"
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and Li Qing felt a profound sense of loss, as if he had forgotten something of immense importance.
The memories of the past decade flashed through his mind in a dizzying rush.
Then, just as quickly, they receded like a tide, growing hazy and indistinct.
It felt like a dream.
"Very good."
Senior Sister Zhao fixed her gaze on Li Qing, her first words a chilling compliment.
"I originally intended to give you just a small punishment for your previous insolence."
"I never expected, however, that you would manage to accomplish so much in a mere decade under these conditions."
"Of all those who have fallen into my domain over the years, you are the first to do so."
"A novel experience."
Her face was a mask, revealing no hint of pleasure or anger as she spoke in a detached monotone.
It was only then that a horrifying realization struck Li Qing: the expressions on the faces of every other woman in the hall were identical to Zhao Ruoxi’s!
A searing pain suddenly shot through Li Qing’s skull, and he instinctively pressed his hands to his temples.
The world around him, the image of the Great Dao Sect, began to waver violently.
Finally, it could no longer sustain itself and shattered, cracking apart piece by piece.
Amid the fracturing light and shadow, Li Qing saw that every face had transformed, each one now a perfect copy of Zhao Ruoxi!
CRASH!
And then, everything went black.
When Li Qing’s consciousness returned, the memories he had long suppressed finally came rushing back.
"Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion is truly formidable..."
"Even though I was on guard, I was still completely submerged, unable to pull myself out."
Li Qing frowned, a flicker of concern crossing his face as his spiritual sense swept over the lower half of his body.
"Thank heavens it was only a dream."
Recalling the decade of decadent scenes within the illusion, and then remembering that all the heroines of his fantasy were actually incarnations of the One Heart Heavenly Venerate, Li Qing couldn’t help but feel a flicker of bewilderment.
But his will was strong, and he quickly shook off the lingering daze.
His thoughts turned to the shocking and utterly unconventional Scripture of Reversing Order.
Unfortunately...
No matter how hard he tried to recall it, the memory of the technique remained as elusive as the moon’s reflection on water.
A wave of disappointment washed over Li Qing.
"Such a divine technique, yet I can’t bring it out with me. I wonder if it even exists in reality, or if it was merely a fabrication of the One Heart Heavenly Venerate within the illusion."
A thousand thoughts raced through his mind before he finally managed to center himself.
He looked around, taking in the familiar scenery.
It was identical to the Great Dao Sect he had just experienced in the illusion.
And he was standing right at the sect’s entrance.
Staring at the familiar stone path leading up the mountain, Li Qing hesitated, reluctant to take the first step.
"You were quite the go-getter a moment ago, weren't you? What happened to all that courage?"
Just then, a derisive laugh echoed from further up the mountain path.
Li Qing followed the sound with his eyes and saw a young male cultivator in the robes of a Great Dao Sect outer disciple, a broom in his hand.
The young man leaned on his broom, looking down at Li Qing from his higher vantage point. Li Qing knew this was another one of the One Heart Heavenly Venerate’s countless bodies, so he showed no disrespect.
He clasped his hands and offered a respectful bow, then began his slow ascent up the stone steps.
"You know the way. Just head on up. I've still got sweeping to do, so I won't be joining you," the young outer disciple said casually as he walked down the steps, brushing past Li Qing without so much as a glance.
He then diligently began sweeping the very steps Li Qing had just walked on.
"So, they're all the same person, but it seems each body maintains its own original or assigned identity..."
"Is this... role-playing?"
Li Qing’s eyes narrowed slightly as he continued deeper into the Great Dao Sect.
Unlike the eerie, silent scene at the end of the illusion where everyone wore Zhao Ruoxi’s face, this place was different.
The Great Dao Sect was brimming with life.
As he walked, Li Qing passed numerous cultivators. They would glance at him for a moment before returning to their own affairs.
He saw them talking, arguing, and sparring with one another.
He even saw several couples whispering intimately to each other.
The scene was bustling with activity, as if the Great Dao Sect of old had never truly perished.
Yet, the more normal it all seemed, the more wary Li Qing became of the One Heart Heavenly Venerate.
"It seems Senior Sister Zhao hasn't been idle these past few thousand years."
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