Chapter 1285: Those Willing to Fight Will Attain the Dao Instantly

Ye Guan was sprawled out on a massive boulder. Although he had consumed a Dao Origin Fruit, it wasn't really that effective for him. His physical injuries had healed, but his soul had yet to recover, so he hadn't been able to awaken.

The battle had utterly exhausted him.

Moreover, the Evil Dao Seal on his forehead had not completely dissipated, and traces of Evil Dao energy still lingered within his body.

Seeing that Ye Guan was still unconscious, the Dao Defier Executioner and Upper God became worried. They knew that it was because of the Evil Dao's energy, but there was nothing they could do about it.

The Evil Dao's power was too formidable for them to erase, and they dared not remove it forcefully. It was embedded deep within Ye Guan's body.

Just then, Fan Shan appeared from out of nowhere.

Both the Dao Defier Executioner and Upper God were slightly surprised to see.

When Fan Shan saw the terrible state that Ye Guan was in, tears instantly welled up in her eyes. She ran over and grabbed his hands, and her voice trembled as she said, "H-How did you end up like this again?"

Just as the Upper God was about to speak, he froze, noticing that the Evil Dao's energy inside Ye Guan was gradually dissipating.

He and the Dao Defier Executioner exchanged glances before they stared at Fan Shan.

It was her!

They were stunned. This little girl was somehow absorbing the Evil Dao's energy!

"

Cough! Cough, cough!

" Ye Guan coughed violently.

Fan Shan hurriedly called out, "Ye Guan!"

Ye Guan opened his eyes. When he saw Fan Shan, he grinned and said, "Still alive."

Fan Shan punched him on the shoulder and glared at him. "Don't speak nonsense! Even my pigs can live for many years, so how could you not when you're human?"

Ye Guan rolled his eyes at her.

The Upper God chuckled. "Young Master Ye, it's good that you're awake."

Ye Guan looked at him and the Dao Defier Executioner. He tried to sit up, but his body went limp.

Fan Shan immediately helped him up.

Ye Guan said, "Thank you both for your help. And please don't call me 'Young Master Ye' anymore. You two are my seniors. If you don't mind, I'd like to call you brothers instead. What do you think?"

The Upper God and Dao Defier Executioner exchanged glances.

The Upper God smiled and said, "We are all Dao Defiers whom the Ancestral Dao wants to get rid of, and we're burdened by the karma brought upon by our actions. Are you sure about that?"

Ye Guan smiled bitterly. "To be honest, the Ancestral Dao has rejected me. In addition, I have two formidable enemies—Fan Zhaodi and the Great Daoist Brush Master. My karma is probably heavier than yours, brothers."

"

Hahaha!

" The Upper God laughed heartily. "In that case, we're all kindred spirits!"

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Ye Guan stood up and bowed slightly. "Brothers, please accept my respect."

The Upper God helped him up and smiled. "Brother Ye, to be honest, there are eight of us here. We're all sworn brothers. Now, with you, that makes nine. And since you're the youngest, you're now Little Nine."

Ye Guan was slightly surprised. "I have several elder brothers?"

The Upper God nodded. "Five more elder brothers, plus one sister—Third Sister!"

Ye Guan smiled. "Looks like I've finally found my family."

The Upper God burst into laughter. "Welcome home!"

The Dao Defier Executioner, standing to the side, also smiled. "Come, let's go see Second Brother. He just sent word for us to bring you to him first."

"Yes, let's go." The Upper God nodded. "He's probably been waiting for a while."

"Alright," Ye Guan agreed.

With that, the two of them led Ye Guan and Fan Shan into the distance.

Fan Shan glanced nervously at the blood-red tombstones surrounding them. She was clearly frightened and instinctively moved closer to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan noticed the eerie tombstones and asked, "Brothers, what are those?"

The Upper God answered, "They were all Dao Defiers."

Ye Guan was shocked. "So many?"

"You're staring at the tombs of the Dao Defiers over the past hundreds of billions of years," the Upper God remarked.

Hundreds of billions of years?!

Ye Guan was stunned. At first, he thought there were a myriad of tombstones, but that was until he heard the Upper God's words. Their numbers made sense now.

Fan Shan asked, "Are they alive or dead?"

The Upper God said, "Some have fallen into an eternal slumber while others are barely hanging on."

Ye Guan turned to the Upper God and hesitated. "Big brother..."

The Upper God chuckled. "I'm the fifth, so you can call me Fifth Brother. The one next to me is Fourth Brother."

Ye Guan smiled. "Alright, Fifth Brother. Just now, you said that some are in an eternal slumber. What does that mean?"

"Little Nine, we're in the 'Heavenly Tomb.' It's a unique place that is not a part of any civilization."

Ye Guan was intrigued. "It doesn't belong to any civilization?"

"Simply put, this place isn't under the Ancestral Dao's governance. In fact, it's the only place within this vast expanse that is beyond its control."

"Fifth Brother, what do you mean by that?"

"This vast expanse houses Tier One to Tier Ten Civilizations. Each of those civilizations has its own Dao, and above them all is the Ancestral Dao, which establishes order and rules across the myriad civilizations.

"According to its decree, every universe must be 'reset' once it reaches a certain level of development."

Ye Guan frowned. "I've heard that it's all for the sake of making sure that the universe will survive."

"No!" The Upper God shook his head. "Whenever a universe is reset, the Evil Dao will absorb the cultivation bases of the myriad beings within that universe.

"Then, the Evil Dao offers all of that power to the Ancestral Dao. In other words, everything within them, including the myriad beings, is nothing more than food for the Ancestral Dao.

"It has been sustaining itself by feeding on the universes and the lives within them."

Ye Guan's expression darkened.

The Upper God let out a low sigh and added, "We once believed that it resets universes to maintain the balance, but that was their way of deceiving everyone. Then again, this is only natural. It is merely a Dao, devoid of any emotions. In its eyes, the vast expanse and the living beings within it are nothing more than food.

"Just like raising livestock, once a universe has grown strong enough, it immediately resets it, absorbing all its inhabitants. It justifies that by claiming that it's for the good of the universe.

"If you refuse to comply and resist, it labels you as a Dao Defier..."

"Beyond that, it has also established the laws of karma and fate within this Ten Tiers of Civilizations[1], using them to control all beings to prevent them from breaking through the limits that it has imposed.

"It has completely severed all paths to ascension, making it impossible for any living being to achieve true enlightenment and reach the state of Self-Attained Dao."

Ye Guan asked, "Self-Attained Dao?

The Upper God nodded. "Beyond the Dao Channel Realm lies the Pinnacle Dao Realm. Pinnacle Dao Realm experts will receive the Ancestral Dao's power as a blessing.

"This is currently the highest realm that one can achieve within this vast expanse, and it's all because the Ancestral Dao will not let anyone exceed that realm.

"There are two realms beyond the Pinnacle Dao Realm. The first is 'Self-Attained Dao,' a realm where one transcends the fate and karma imposed by the Ancestral Dao, no longer bound or controlled by it.

"he second is the Dao Embodiment Realm, where the Dao becomes oneself, and one becomes the Dao, surpassing even the ultimate limits of this vast expanse."

Ye Guan asked, "Has anyone ever reached the Dao Embodiment Realm?"

The Upper God's face was grave as he replied, "As far as we know, only two."

"Who?"

"One is the Ancestral Dao, and the other is our eldest brother."

"Our eldest brother?"

"Yes, Eldest Brother has reached the Dao Embodiment Realm, but he appeared far too late. Meanwhile, the Ancestral Dao has spent eons resetting universes and devouring countless beings, allowing it to reach an absolutely terrifying level of power.

"Even Eldest Brother is no match for it.

Sigh,

if only he were born earlier."

Ye Guan fell silent.

Just then, he thought of Fan Zhaodi and the Great Daoist Brush Master, wondering what realms they had reached. Especially Fan Zhaodi... her strength had to be unimaginable after merging with the Evil Dao.

Ye Guan turned to the Upper God and asked, "Fifth Brother, you said earlier that this is the only place that is not under the Ancestral Dao's governance?"

The Upper God nodded and pointed ahead. "Look."

Ye Guan followed his finger and saw a vast sea in the distance. Beyond it, an endless expanse of grey mist stretched out, obscuring everything.

Ye Guan was puzzled. The Upper God remarked, "That is the Sea of Suffering. The Heavenly Tomb World drifted here from the other side."

Ye Guan turned to him in astonishment. "Drifted here from the other side?"

"Yes. And we don't know how or why. Perhaps Eldest Brother knows something about it."

"Have you ever tried crossing it?"

The Upper God shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's impossible."

Ye Guan frowned. "Why?"

Gazing solemnly at the sea, the Upper God replied, "It's an unimaginably terrifying sea. Anyone who steps into it will dissolve along with their soul. All traces of their past, present, and future will be wiped away."

Ye Guan looked at the Sea of Suffering.

From the outside, it appeared just like an ordinary sea. It didn't look dangerous at all. His eyes then turned to the horizon. The other side was only a few thousand meters away, but there was an endless, impenetrable mist beyond the sea.

Ye Guan's divine sense couldn't even approach the sea. His divine sense was instantly erased upon getting close enough to it.

Ye Guan's expression grew solemn.

What a creepy place.

Just then, the Dao Defier Executioner tilted his head to listen to something, and then he frowned deeply.

The Upper God noticed that and asked, "Fourth Brother, what's wrong?"

The Dao Defier Executioner said in a low voice, "Sixth Brother just sent word, there's major movement from the Ancestral Dao. Every top-tier expert from Tier One to Tier Ten Civilizations has been mobilized."

The Upper God was stunned. "What did it offer to them?"

The Dao Defier Executioner turned to him, and his expression was grim as he replied, "Those willing to fight for it will attain the Dao instantly."

1. all civilizations from Tier One to Tier Ten ☜