Start with the fisherman

"what?"

Dozens of miles away from Donghai County, in a thick white cloud, Yu Xueru stared with wide eyes at the white ribbons flying wildly in the sky. She was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses.

The Demon Lord Liekong was defeated!

That is the incarnation of the ancestor of the Dao Realm. How could there be an opponent in the Dharmakaya Realm?
What was even more unacceptable to him was that after this battle, His Royal Highness King Cheng would definitely know about Cao Ze's existence. How would he explain it then?

Yu Xueru's face turned pale, and she clenched her fists. Her nails dug into the flesh of her palms without her noticing.

She had originally regarded Cao Ze as a dead man. Not only did she embezzle all the resources that His Royal Highness King Cheng promised to recruit Cao Ze, she also fanned the flames of the Blood Demon Cult's blood sacrifice. Otherwise, if it was reported, His Royal Highness King Cheng would not have ignored it, as Donghai County was His Royal Highness King Cheng's territory.

She has used this method countless times. No matter how talented you are, Daqian has a vast territory and a population of hundreds of billions, so there is never a shortage of geniuses.

No one needs a disobedient genius. The world is unpredictable and any accident can kill a genius. She is very good at creating accidents.

But this time, she failed!

She had never seen such a monster before. His growth rate was even faster than she had dreamed. It was so fast that before she had the chance to create such an accident, he had already become an unshakable mountain.

what should I do?
Yu Xueru's brain was working rapidly.

……

In Yong'an County, Liu Tong, who had just returned from the secret realm in the outer sea, hurried to the palace. When he arrived at the gate, he rushed in without waiting for notification.

"who?"

The guards of the palace drew their swords and chased after him as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Your Highness."

Liu Tong found Prince Yongping Li Yuchen in the martial arts arena.

"Brother Tong, didn't you go to the secret realm? Why are you back so soon?"

The two grew up together. Liu Tong is Li Yuchen's bodyguard and also his older brother. As he is at the seventh level of the Dharmakaya, he is qualified to do so.

"There are assassins protecting His Highness!"

It was not until then that the guards arrived, and they started shouting in panic before they could even see the person clearly.

Li Yuchen waved his hand, "It's okay, there's nothing for you to do here, you can go down first."

He naturally would not blame the guards for such a thing, but he became more and more curious about what could have happened that was worthy of Liu Tong's reckless intrusion.

"Cao Ze has broken through to the ninth level of the Dharmakaya!"

Liu Tong didn't say much, but he believed that just this simple sentence was enough.

"Ninth level of Dharmakaya?!"

Li Yuchen immediately put away all his laziness. He certainly understood what the ninth level of Dharmakaya meant.

"Wait, Cao Ze? Which Cao Ze?"

Only then did Li Yuchen draw his attention back a little from the ninth level of the Dharmakaya.

"Donghai County, Cao Ze!"

"What? Is it him?"

Li Yuchen widened his eyes, as if trying to find evidence that Liu Tong was lying.

No matter what, he couldn't connect the guy he recruited with the ninth level of Dharmakaya.

More than a year ago, that kid was just a peak grandmaster, but in the blink of an eye he has reached the limit of the Dharmakaya realm. Is this reasonable?

"Yes, it's him!"

Liu Tong was sure, but he did not urge him. He knew Li Yuchen. Li Yuchen had been a calm person since he was young. Even the current emperor had praised Li Yuchen for "remaining calm when facing major events"!
He knew that Li Yuchen was just too shocked and temporarily unconscious.

He adjusted quickly and knew what this meant.

But he obviously underestimated the shock this news brought to Li Yuchen.

Li Yuchen still couldn't believe the authenticity of the news.

At this moment, a hidden gray light came quietly and turned into a jade talisman floating beside Li Yuchen.

In Donghai County City, the Dao Realm clone was killed in the battle formation!
The news in the jade talisman woke Li Yuchen up like a thunderbolt.

"Without further delay, let's go find our father!"

Li Yuchen finally regained his composure.

……

Lin'an County, Chengwang Palace,
Hahahaha...

"Kill the Dao Realm Ancestor's clone in the formation!"

"Good job!"

"Beautiful!"

King Cheng's hearty laughter filled the palace.

He had just received news that Cao Ze had actually forged a ninth-grade Dharma body and even broken through to the ninth level of the Dharma body, becoming an invincible existence below the Dao realm.

He had noticed this person a long time ago and had sent people to recruit him. Most importantly, he succeeded in recruiting him. At least, that's what the people he sent to recruit him said. He wouldn't lie about this kind of thing.

As expected, he was the man destined to be his, and God actually sent him such a capable assistant!

"Someone, go and call Yu Xueru back to Lin'an County. She has done a great deed this time!"

"Let her take Cao Ze with her, and we'll go to the capital together. Cao Ze has offended the Dao Realm Patriarch, and only the capital is safe."

King Cheng was confident. He had already planned what to do next. He was determined to obtain the throne of Daqian.

"Your Majesty... Your Highness..."

The middle-aged man who brought the information was not so happy. He hesitated and finally said, "A spy sent a message that they saw Cao Ze in the Gray Sky Secret Realm!"

"Gray Sky Secret Realm?"

King Cheng's expression became solemn. The Grey Sky Secret Realm was the most important resource in the hands of King Qi. Those who could enter were all close confidants of King Qi.

If Cao Ze really appeared there, what it would mean was self-evident.

But if Cao Zezhen agreed to his recruitment, he must have signed a Heavenly Contract and it would be impossible for him to have the best of both worlds.

Could it be that the King of Qi found a way to circumvent the Heavenly Dao Contract?

"Is this serious?"

King Cheng turned around and looked at the middle-aged man.

"That's the news from that person, it should be true!"

"Something must be wrong."

King Cheng murmured, but soon his eyes regained their determination and looked at the other middle-aged man below, "Call Yu Xueru back and ask her about this matter clearly."

"Your Majesty... Your Highness..."

The middle-aged man who was called had a bitter look on his face. He was in charge of the Iron Hat Regiment in several southeastern counties under King Cheng, and Yu Xueru was his subordinate.

"What's the bad news?"

King Cheng's expression had turned ugly. "If you have something to say, just say it. If you keep hesitating, you'll lose your tongue!"

The middle-aged man's face turned pale, "News came from Donghai County that Yu Xueru is missing."

hum!
King Cheng felt as if his head was hit hard by a stick. It was empty, yet buzzing.

Now the truth is out, that woman Yu Xueru tricked him!
"How dare she!"

"How dare she!"

King Cheng was extremely angry, but he still controlled his rage.

Restraint is the reason for becoming a king!
He didn't know that if Cao Ze wasn't too evil and hadn't grown to a point where even he couldn't ignore him, this wouldn't be a big deal. It wasn't just Yu Xueru who was doing this, other people were doing the same thing, and he wouldn't care at all. "This kid must not be allowed to stay!"

King Cheng quickly gathered all his thoughts.

If the King of Qi were to receive help from such an evildoer, the situation would be reversed in an instant. How could he, who had always had the upper hand, be willing to accept this?

But King Cheng was a little confused. How could he get rid of the other party?
Let the Dao Realm ancestor take action?
How could the Dao Realm Patriarch listen to his orders? If he could command the Dao Realm Patriarch, there would be no need to fight for the throne.

"Yu Xueru!"

King Cheng gnashed his teeth and really wanted to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.

"Ying 6, go and bring her back to me!"

King Cheng's eyes were already red.

……

Xuan Jing Division, Ranking Division, Su Mengli looked at the jade talisman in her hand, speechless.

"Monster! Monster!"

After a long while, he finally uttered a weak sigh.

The Daqian Prodigy List ranks the prodigies under the age of 30 in Daqian, so even after Cao Ze broke through to the Dharma Body level, he did not fall off the list and still topped the list.

When Ling Xiaoyu broke through to the Dharmakaya level, he also did not fall off the list and remained second.

The Grandmaster List ranks the Grandmasters under the age of fifty in Daqian. Generally speaking, few people can break through to become Grandmasters at the age of thirty, so these two lists have been running normally all along.

But now, he suddenly didn't know which list to put Cao Ze on.

It is true that Cao Ze is not yet thirty years old, and he is indeed a genius, but will he be angry if other people on the list are listed with him?

But it doesn't seem appropriate to remove him from the list of geniuses.

It would be even more inappropriate to put him on the Grandmaster list. Now Cao Ze has reached the ultimate strength of his Dharmakaya, and the title of Grandmaster alone cannot describe him.

When these two lists were set up, they certainly didn't think that this situation would happen. It was simply impossible to happen.

It’s difficult, it’s difficult!

……

Thump, thump, thump…thump, thump, thump…

In the back garden of the City Lord's Mansion, there were sounds of heavenly music and clinking of glasses, creating a joyous scene.

Cao Ze sat in the main seat, listening to the familiar music and dreaming of his past life.

This music is inexplicably similar to the soundtrack of the Peach Banquet in Heaven in 86 Journey to the West, which seems to be called "Tianfu Music".

"Xiao Ze, you can't stay in the county town any longer."

Unlike others who were jubilant, Li Changji seemed a little worried.

Of course he knew that Cao Ze defeated the clone of Demon Lord Liekong, and that Cao Ze had also offended the other party.

He is an old ancestor of the Dao Realm. If he comes to Donghai County, Cao Ze will surely die.

No matter how monstrous he is, he can't break through to the Dao realm in a short period of time, right?
"Go to the capital!"

Li Changji had already thought of a place to go. He didn't know how many Taoist ancestors there were in Daqian now, but if there were any, they would definitely be in the capital.

Once they arrived in the capital, even the Demon Lord Liekong would not dare to act too recklessly.

"Master, don't worry. We'll leave tonight!"

Cao Ze smiled and said that he had received a message from the King of Qi earlier, inviting him to the capital.

The land of inheritance will be opened soon, and it is time for him to prepare.

"Leaving tonight?"

"That's fine, it's better to leave early!"

Li Changji nodded. The journey to the capital was long. Even though Cao Ze had reached the limit of a martial artist in the Dharmakaya realm, it would still take several months to get to the capital.

"His Royal Highness Prince Qi has already enabled us to access the transmission!"

Cao Ze knew that his master had misunderstood him, but they didn't need to fly over.

It's no wonder that Li Changji didn't think of this. Donghai County City naturally has a teleportation array, but you can't just go wherever you want during the teleportation. You also need to know the coordinates of the other party's teleportation, and you must have the other party's teleportation authority.

Otherwise, if the enemy attacked a county town, they would be teleported directly to the capital to attack Huanglong. Why would Daqian build such a teleportation array?

"His Royal Highness King Qi?"

Li Changji suddenly realized and felt much more at ease. There must be an ancestor in the Dao realm in the Daqian royal family. Cao Ze has defected to King Qi, so he naturally doesn't have to worry about the Demon Lord Liekong when he goes to the capital.

Even if one is at the Dao realm, he dare not act presumptuously in front of the Daqian royal family.

……

In the bitterly cold Far North, beneath a glacier that never melts, there lies an extremely luxurious palace.

Deep in the palace, in a stone chamber that was closed all year round, a pair of blood-red eyes pierced through the darkness, and then the whole room lit up.

There was only a futon in the room, and a middle-aged man in a blood-stained robe was sitting on it. His blood-red eyes seemed to show traces of the passing of time.

He raised his head and glanced towards the east. After hesitating for a moment, he closed his eyes again, raised his hand and waved out a scarlet jade talisman, and fell into deep sleep again.

There is no doubt that this person is the Demon Lord Liekong. He was originally a human who practiced evil skills. Naturally, he would not really look like the incarnation of the devil. The statue of the devil worshipped by the Blood Demon Cult is his Dharma body.

Cao Ze destroyed a wisp of his spirit, which naturally alarmed his real body.

Since this peerless evildoer is his enemy, he naturally has to kill him as soon as possible.

But he also knew that the other party was not a fool and would not wait for him to kill him in Donghai County.

His time is precious and it is not worth wasting it on that kid. He has to wait until that day comes. If he can make one more step forward, not only will he be able to live thousands more years, but that kid will no longer be a threat to him.

And that day is not far away. No matter how wicked that kid is, it is impossible for him to break through to the Dao realm in such a short time, not even if he is a ninth-grade Dharmakaya.

As a powerful person in the Dao realm, he knows best how difficult it is to condense Dao Fruit.

Even if that kid really breaks through to the Dao realm, he will not be a match for him, a veteran Dao realm expert.

So after hesitating for a moment, he chose to continue sleeping and wait for the arrival of destiny. Of course, he had also informed his subordinates that if there was any definite news about Cao Ze, he would not mind spending some time to solve this trouble.

……

In the Sword Sect, deep and quiet in the belly of the mountain, there is a secret room carved from thousand-year-old wood. Not a trace of the outside world can penetrate it, leaving only the faint scent of pine and the precipitation of time.

Inside the room, the flickering candlelight illuminates the figure of a person sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. He is surrounded by imperceptible circles of spiritual energy, as if he has merged with this world. Time here seems to be slow and long.

Suddenly, the air in the secret room seemed to tremble slightly, and then the originally calm vortex of original power began to surge violently, like a lake stirred by an invisible hand, rippling layer upon layer.

The young man with his eyes closed in the secret room slowly opened his eyes, and there was a light flickering in his pupils as if he could see through everything in the world. It was a kind of indifference and depth after experiencing vicissitudes of life, and it also contained the vitality of about to break out of the cocoon and become a butterfly.

He exhaled gently, and a long and deep breathing sound echoed in the room, like the roar of a dragon or a tiger, or like a breeze blowing over the hills. In an instant, the original power in the stone room seemed to be drawn by this power, pouring into the Dharma body behind him, turning into starlight, and merging into his blood and bone marrow.

As the original power continued to gather, his body was gradually shrouded in a faint white light, which was a symbol of his improved cultivation and breakthrough in realm. He slowly stood up, his figure as straight as a pine tree, and every step he took seemed to follow the rhythm of heaven and earth, with an indescribable majesty and transcendence.

Finally, he walked to the door of the secret room and pushed it gently with both hands. The seemingly heavy stone door slowly opened as if there was nothing on it. A long-lost ray of sunlight penetrated the clouds and sprinkled on his body, illuminating his face that looked even more extraordinary after the retreat.

He looked up at the long-lost sky, his eyes filled with both emotion for the past years and anticipation for the future journey. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if the whole world was in his hands.

"I, Ling Xiaoyu, have come out of seclusion!"

Feeling the warmth of the sun on his body, Ling Xiaoyu grinned and laughed silently.

This time he directly crossed the third level of Dharmakaya and broke through to the fourth level of Dharmakaya.

Such a short period of time and such a fast breakthrough speed, even if it is unprecedented, it is definitely one of the fastest people in history.

No matter how monstrous Cao Ze is, he is currently at most at the fourth level of the Dharmakaya.

It's time to go find him for a fight! (End of this chapter)