When a swordsman questioned the Sword Dao, they naturally used the sword. When questioning the Dao, Dao techniques were used.

Fang Chen’s words left the opponent speechless, but having seen the fate of Ouyang Haoyu, he dared not accept Fang Chen's questioning of the Dao. His face changed from pale to green, not daring to answer.

The Greenwood Sect’s ancestor chuckled. “Are you scared? If you have severed your heart for the Dao, you can roll away.”

The opponent remained motionless.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Severing the heart for the Dao would mean returning all the techniques he learned in the Dao Sect. It would naturally cost him a significant portion of his cultivation. He neither wanted to accept the questioning of the Dao nor sever his heart for the Dao, so he could only look toward some elders of the Great Expansion Dao Gate for help.

The Greenwood Sect’s ancestor glanced at Ouyang Xuanzhen mockingly. “Questioning the Dao is a rule of a Dao Sect. If your sect doesn’t even abide by it, you might as well go ahead and change your name. What kind of Dao Sect are you?”

A member of the Great Expansion Dao Sect with a somber expression shouted at the cultivator, “Don’t disgrace our Dao Sect!”

Seeing that he had nowhere to hide, the cultivator gritted his teeth and let out a roar, intending to use his strongest move to strike first.

Unfortunately for him, the black paper was faster than he was. By the time his spiritual energy began to surge, the black paper figure had already disemboweled him.

Many watched this unfold in trepidation, their hearts growing cold.

“This is way too ruthless….”

The way the black paper figure killed… was way too ruthless.

Fang Chen’s gaze fell on another cultivator from the Great Expansion Dao Gate. He calmly said, “I am Fang Chen from the Three Thousand Dao Sects. Today, I question you on the Dao. Only one of us can live.”

The other party felt a chill run down his spine.

At that moment, an old man suddenly stepped out of the crowd and calmly said to Green Wood Sect’s Ancestor, “Brother Qingmu, since you want to question the Dao, let this poor Daoist spar with you.”

The crowd didn’t know who the old man was, but he wore a Daoist robe and referred to himself as “this poor Daoist.” The fact that he dared to spar with the Greenwood Sect’s ancestor indicated that he was certainly an expert in the Dao Sect. He was a Profound Immortal.

Ancestor Qingmu let out a hearty laugh and flew straight up into the sky, with the Profound Immortal following closely behind.

In the blink of an eye, the two reached a space that was invisible to the crowd, except for those like Heavenly King Zhen. Even those at the Dao Union Realm found it hard to see what was happening and could only hear thunderous booms echoing continuously.

In an instant, the clear sky above the Ancient Demon Wasteland turned dark as rolling clouds appeared. The aftermath of the battle between the two Profound Immortals made the onlookers feel stifled.

The crowd looked on in shock.

“Is this the power of Profound Immortals!?”

“This level of might is truly unimaginable.”

The Ninth Prince glanced at the Dragon Sovereign and smiled lightly, saying, “This Star Plucking Profound Immortal of your sect has yet to sit in meditation. Looking at his foundation, it seems he has the potential to be an Immortal King?”

“He’s quite talented, and his comprehension of Dao techniques is also very high. He could indeed become an Immortal King, but as you know, Profound Immortals faces four tribulations, each more difficult than the last. It is not enough to have good talent and comprehension. It all depends on whether he is fated for it,” the Dragon Sovereign replied with a faint smile.

The Ninth Prince nodded gently. He knew from experience that the Four Tribulations of Profound Immortals were far more terrifying than the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations.

***

One hour later.

The cultivators of the Great Expansion Dao Gate looked ashen. In just an hour, Fang Chen had questioned thirty-two disciples of their sect.

All of them were in the Enlightenment Realm, and after being questioned, they had completely perished, leaving no hope for rescue. Although the Enlightenment Realm was merely the first realm of the Middle Three Realms, no faction would consider such cultivators as cannon fodder. They all made up the foundations of a sect. There were hopes that one of them would eventually break through to the Dao Union Realm or even become a Profound Immortal.

Having spent countless resources to nurture these Enlightenment Realm cultivators, their deaths had made even those in the Dao Union Realm restless. They frequently looked toward Ouyang Xuanzhen, hoping he would intervene.

Ouyang Xuanzhen maintained a calm demeanor, but the cold glint that occasionally flashed in his eyes was enough to show how gloomy he felt. If it weren’t for many things holding him back, he would have already acted to subdue this young man.

Wang Zhenlong suddenly laughed. “Haha! Hey! At this rate, won’t my disciple wipe out all your forces?”

Ouyang Xuanzhen glanced at him, then looked at Fang Chen, who was about to question another one of his sect’s disciples.

Ouyang Xuanzhen suddenly let out a cold snort. “Disciples of the Great Expansion Dao Gate, listen up!”

The group of cultivators perked up.

“Return to the mountain!”

With Ouyang Xuanzhen’s command, all the Great Expansion Dao Gate cultivators present immediately flew toward the mountain gate. Their speed was like lightning, and it was clear to anyone with sharp eyes that they were unwilling to give Fang Chen another chance to question them.

However, this also meant that the Great Expansion Dao Gate had lost all face today.

Being questioned by the disciples of the Three Thousand Dao Sects, the only option left was to flee back to their mountain gate. If this news spread, it would likely cause a huge uproar within Dao Sects.

“Seriously? Is the Great Expansion Dao Gate pulling this stunt again?” Cheng Yuhan said incredulously. “Are they really not afraid of losing face? They shrank back when we questioned them with swords, and now they’re shrinking back when Junior Brother Fang questions them on the Dao?”

“If they were afraid of losing face, they wouldn’t spend all their time slandering the Three Thousand Dao Sect,” Jing Xu replied with a smile.

The Void Immortal Sword Sect also had records of ancient events, which included mentions of the Three Thousand Dao Sect. Although the truth could not be verified, one could glean from various clues that at least eighty percent of the claims in the ancient texts had some basis in fact.

“The Great Expansion Dao Gate has run away... surely this one isn’t going to question the Immortal King of the Great Expansion Dao Gate, right? He should be looking for… eh, where have all the Innate Dao Sect cultivators gone!? I just saw them earlier.”

“They must have hidden away at some point…”

“If it were me, I’d hide too. This kind of questioning is no different from giving away free kills…”

At first, the crowd could still see a few Innate Dao Sect cultivators scattered around nearby, but now they couldn’t find a single one.

“Next, he must be looking to cause trouble for the Morning Star Dao Sect.”

Everyone's gaze turned to a certain direction.

Unfortunately, they guessed wrong. After the cultivators of the Great Expansion Dao Gate fled, Fang Chen instead looked toward those who had previously received the inheritance from Elder Yun He but had spoken disrespectfully.

“Since you have received Master’s inheritance, you are also part of the Dao lineage. Today, I question you about the Dao,” said Fang Chen with a smile.

The group immediately turned pale with fright, and one hot-tempered individual retorted angrily, “What does it have to do with us!? We’re also part of the Daoist lineage? Why don’t you go look for the Morning Star Dao Sect’s cultivators!”

The cultivators of the Morning Star Dao Sect’s expressions darkened, casting a cold glance at the guy. They also wanted to avoid Fang Chen’s edge, but unfortunately, since the Dragon Sovereign had not spoken, they had no choice but to stand their ground unlike the Great Expansion Dao Gate and Innate Dao Sect.

As soon as the cultivator finished speaking, he suddenly saw the black paper figure appear right in front of him, causing him to be so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. Just as he thought he was doomed, he realized the black paper figure only smashed his mouth, then moved on to the next cultivator.

Although his mouth had been smashed, making it difficult for him to speak, at least he was not in life-threatening danger, which he considered a stroke of luck amid misfortune. He covered his mouth and watched as the black paper figure moved among the various cultivators, and his anger suddenly faded a bit, replaced by a hint of gloating.