In the past, it had nearly cost Chu Liang his life when he tried to kill the Violet Gold Marquess, who had been severely wounded and left with only half a body.

Now, facing a demon at the peak of the seventh realm was no longer too difficult for him. Though he had the aid of the Demon-Slaying Sword, even Chu Liang couldn't help but feel a little wistful at how far he had come.

It was a bit of a pity that White King Xiao had escaped while he was protecting Jiang Guo. Still, when he thought about it, if Black King Xiao had self-detonated and taken them both out, he would’ve only gotten one imprint anyway.

By letting White King Xiao go, he would get a total of two imprints if he managed to kill him later, and each one represented an adorable large-headed doll.

Thinking of it that way, Chu Liang no longer felt sad.

Afterward, he left the task of cleaning up the battlefield to Lin Bei. Since he had a few friends in the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, he called them over to handle the situation in Lingguan Town.

Chu Liang prepared a generous gift for Ye Yongxing and a pile of snacks for Jiang Guo. Both of them had put in considerable effort this time. Chu Liang had always been generous with his friends, so naturally, he wouldn’t let them walk away empty-handed.

Ye Yongxing returned to Celestial Pivot Pavilion to report back. In order to prevent White King Xiao from wreaking havoc again, the pavilion would likely need to continue tracking him down.

As for Chu Yi, he still wore a smiling face toward Chu Liang. He waited until Chu Liang had finished arranging everything.

Then he stepped forward and greeted him cheerfully. "Senior Brother!"

However, Chu Liang’s response was noticeably cold.

"I appreciate your help this time," Chu Liang said, his voice devoid of emotion. "But we no longer walk the same path. From now on, it’s best if we avoid contact."

"Senior Brother," Chu Yi replied sincerely, "maybe it's not that we've chosen different paths. We just faced different circumstances. If you were in my place, you might have made the same choices."

Chu Liang shook his head. "No, I wouldn't have. I would never harm the innocent to achieve my goals. I would never let people like the rebels of Mount Mang become my wings. The matter with Hong Zhenyuan from Starhold Island, the incident at the Ice Soul Sword Sect... that was all you, wasn't it?"

When he looked into Chu Yi’s eyes, there wasn’t a trace of seeing him as just a child.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"I didn’t teach you long enough. There are some principles you still don’t understand," Chu Liang said slowly. "The more clever someone is, the more trouble they bring if their heart isn’t in the right place."

"Senior Brother, I understand everything you're saying." Chu Yi paused for a moment, then continued, "But I’m not you. I don’t have as many choices. I have goals I need to reach, and this is the only path I can take. I can promise you this: I’ll never harm the Mount Shu Sect, and certainly not Silver Sword Peak."

"Of course you won’t," Chu Liang replied. "Not because you care about Mount Shu, but because you don't dare to do it."

He waved his hand and turned to leave. Before he walked away, he said, "You are protected by the Noble Dharma right now, and you don’t need my guidance anymore. Just one piece of advice—think twice before you act. I was the one who brought you out, and I can also send you back."

Chu Yi stared at Chu Liang’s departing figure for a long moment before letting out a helpless sigh.

He turned around and saw Jiang Guo’s face. The little girl looked up at him curiously and asked, "What took you so long? Did he give you something tasty to eat?"

…

After returning to the Mount Shu Sect, the first thing Chu Liang did was check the White Pagoda with his divine sense.

The imprint left by the Black King Xiao in the iron prison stood out immediately. It was much larger than usual, its color deeper, its shape longer and more twisted than any ordinary human-faced xiao he had seen before.

Surely, the reward for this one would be even more satisfying.

What followed was a familiar process. Chu Liang pressed his palm down, and with a loud boom, a flare of red light erupted. Moments later, a large ball of white light floated upward. Judging by the shape, it was clearly another large-headed doll.

Chu Liang caught it with his hand and instantly received a familiar message.

[Dao-Comprehending Puppet: A puppet designed to assist in Dao comprehension. Simply fuse a Dao essence seed into the puppet, and it will begin the process of comprehending on its own. Once the Dao essence is fully comprehended, the insight will be transmitted back to the host.

The puppet must be powered by treasures of nature. If its spiritual energy is exhausted, the comprehension process will stop immediately, and the Dao essence will dissipate.

Please be aware that this puppet is to be used strictly for Dao comprehension, and there is a risk of damage if used inappropriately.]

It was just as Chu Liang had expected!

Given his past familiarity with the large-headed dolls, Chu Liang already suspected this puppet had a connection to the seventh realm’s great Dao. But he hadn’t expected it to be this straightforward.

It could assist in comprehending the Dao! What does this even mean?

It was often said that at the Mortal Gate, cultivation was what mattered, and this could be taught by others. At the Earthly Gate, resources were key, and others could provide them. But at the Heavenly Gate, what mattered was the Great Dao, and this was something no one else could give.

It had to be comprehended through the cultivator's own effort!

Even Baize, as the master of the Great Dao of Yin and Yang, could only give Chu Liang a Dao essence seed to serve as a starting point. When it came to actual enlightenment, neither parents nor esteemed teachers nor ancestors could lend a hand.

Chu Liang had possessed that seed for many days, yet still hadn’t grasped the Great Dao of Yin and Yang. That alone showed how difficult it was. Without a fortunate encounter, comprehending the Dao was harder than ascending the heavens.

But from today onwards, he would have a large-headed doll that could actually help him comprehend the Dao!

And a puppet like this only required some treasures of nature? This was the dream puppet of every cultivator.

Without hesitation, Chu Liang offered it a spirit plant to activate the enlightenment puppet, then he inserted the Yin-Yang Seed that Baize had gifted him.

Boom!

The Dao-Comprehending Puppet lit up at once, its body glowing with a gentle white light as it joined the tireless army of puppets at work. Unlike the others, which were surrounded by swirling mists and colorful haze, this one was much more quiet.

That was understandable. Comprehending the Dao required deep contemplation, which was very different from the physical cultivation methods used by the other puppets.

Once the puppet completed its comprehension, Chu Liang would receive a fully formed Dao essence of the Great Dao of Yin and Yang. That meant he would have comprehended the Great Dao of Yin and Yang and would possess the strength to use it to break through to the eighth realm.

And this was only the beginning—Chu Liang was already picturing himself one day wielding all three thousand Daos.

Many unconventional cultivators, even if fortunate enough to break through the Heavenly Gate, would spend their entire lives having comprehended only a single Dao. Some were gifted only in that one Dao and, having broken through by sheer chance, were too dull in nature to grasp any others—like a certain master of Silver Sword Peak.

Among the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, ordinary seventh-realm cultivators might comprehend three to five Daos. The more exceptional ones could manage seven or eight. Those who comprehended more than ten were considered Eminent Ones, known for their extraordinary perception, having reached the Dao Attainment Realm.

How many Daos Chu Liang could comprehend in the future would depend on two things—how many Dao essence seeds he could obtain and how many treasures of nature he could gather.

As for the second requirement, it could almost be ignored. With his financial means, there was practically no limit.

As for the first requirement, the Dao essence seed, it could only be granted by a Dao Master and served as the foundation for comprehending Dao. In truth, it wasn’t considered that significant. It merely helped cultivators bypass the initial hurdle of going from zero to one. Beyond that point, it offered no further assistance. That was why, in the world of immortal cultivation, it wasn’t especially valued.

Moments later, Chu Liang was already flying toward the Boundless Palace on the Heaven-Reaching Peak.

Venerable Wen Yuan smiled as he saw him approaching in a hurry. "Back so soon? Didn’t you say everything at Lingguan Town went smoothly? Aren't you supposed to go see the Azure Dragon? What brings you running to me instead?"

"I’m in no rush to see the Azure Dragon. I came to you because something urgent came up," Chu Liang replied.

"Oh?" Venerable Wen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Chu Liang answered, "I’m here to ask for a seed!"