The Way of The Dao

"Then you must be a genius in your sect!" Ling Tian nodded and asked, "What sect are you from? Or do you belong to any particular force or clan?"

Ling Tian wanted to know where these youths came from.

However, when Ling Tian asked the latter, Mio Yidan's expression froze and at once the glow of joy and excitement in her eyes turned to sadness.

Not only Mio Yidan; Shang Moyu, Chang Yi and the others also could not help but make sad or gloomy faces, as if a painful and sad spot was suddenly touched.

Ling Tian raised his eyebrows slightly, quickly understanding and thinking of some answers.

"You see, brother Ling, the thing is that our sect was destroyed by other sects as a whole..." Shang Moyu, as the leader of this group, explained to Ling Tian in a few words.

"I see..." Ling Tian nodded, confirming one of his thoughts.

The destruction of sects by other forces was a normal and common occurrence, especially in low-level places.

"So right now you guys are without a sect and want to try your luck to see if you get some cultivation resources?"

"That's just the way you put it, Brother Ling." Shang Moyu let out a somewhat helpless sigh.

With the destruction of their sect, they no longer had anywhere to go, and their only options were to try to enter under the tutelage of other sects or forces, or to wander aimlessly and be solitary cultivators without sects while waiting for some event or fortuitous encounter.

But both options had their advantages and disadvantages; seeking to enter another sect meant they would have to pass their tests and qualifications, and since the sects near where they live would not accept them because they belonged to their sect that was destroyed and they would not risk having their problems haunt them as well.

The other option of cultivating alone would be somewhat different, but they would not have a force to back them up and they themselves would have to find their own cultivation resources and put in a lot more effort.

"The strongest in our sect was the sect master, who had reached the golden core middle stage after several decades. But the sect master was killed in the siege of the sect along with the other elders while protecting us and making sure that we could escape all the disciples."

Shang Moyu clenched his hand full of helplessness, remembering what had happened and that he too was unable to help his sect when it was needed the most, causing all his seniors and sect elders to sacrifice their lives for them.

Although he had achieved a decent enough level of cultivation, it still wasn't enough apparently.

Ling Tian looked at them and said nothing, still keeping pace with them as they headed towards their destination.

Ling Tian never experienced this kind of tragedy in a sect, as he wandered aimlessly while cultivating alone. But somehow he could feel that what Shang Moyu and the others experienced was the same as what he had experienced as he witnessed the massacre and death of his entire foster family.

This kind of tragedy was marked deep in his heart, never being able to forget it and even having constant nightmares and insomnia in the years that followed, until Ling Tian slowly got over it, but always remembering what he had experienced that fateful day.

"For many, a sect will only be a place to study and cultivate, a place to become strong every day, for others a place to sleep or eat, while for a few it will be a real home...."

Suddenly, Ling Tian's voice broke the sad and gloomy atmosphere, carrying with it a feeling of peace and tranquility.

"As long as you keep it in each of your hearts, the sect will always be a part of you. Go ahead and strive twice, three times, or even ten times as hard if necessary!"

"The goal of cultivating is to achieve immortality, and the sect is one of the many external but crucial helping factors for most. You won't always be able to be with your sect, as you have to keep moving forward and one day you will have to leave to spread your wings... but once you reach a higher position, you will realize that the sect will always follow you wherever you go as it was a part of you, even if it has disappeared, as long as you remember it you can maintain its legacy and maybe, someday, you can bring your sect back to this world and rebuild it to make it stronger."

Ling Tian did not turn to look at them, but said in a calm but firm tone as he lead the way and the others were following him.

Shang Moyu and the others were stunned at Ling Tian's words, as if listening to him they were listening to their sect master when he used to lecture them in the past, finally illuminating their dark paths.

* Crackle... *

Instantly, a faint ripple of energy swept through the place, causing everyone to turn their attention towards one of them.

"Huh?"

Shang Moyu was dumbfounded as he felt that the bottleneck of many months had finally loosened, indicating to him that he would very soon be able to advance to the foundation establishment late stage.

"After so long..." Shang Moyu couldn't help but swallow hard, feeling the change in his body and then looking at Ling Tian.

Although Shang Moyu did not consider himself a genius, he knew that he had a good talent for cultivation. But his cultivation stopped in the foundation establishment middle stage a long time ago, when he realized that the sect was in a bad position and a war would soon break out. His worries filled his heart and he could not maintain a harmonious and peaceful cultivation after that.

The peers soon rejoiced and congratulated Shang Moyu as they realized that this was a sign that very soon he would break through. They knew that Shang Moyu carried a responsibility of the sect due to being one of the core disciples, but his cultivation stopped due to the pressure and anxiety he suffered, preventing him from cultivating as before.

"Senior Brother Ling, thank you!"

Shang Moyu thanked everyone's congratulations and immediately cupped his fists towards Ling Tian, becoming more respectful towards him. Shang Moyu knew that, if not for Ling Tian's words, he might still be in stuck in the middle stage of foundation establishment for a long time.

"What are you saying? I'm just saying nonsense. That your bottleneck has loosened at this moment has nothing to do with me." Ling Tian waved his hand casually.

If these young people could overcome the problems and anxieties that burdened them by themselves, they would have a better future.

Shang Moyu smiled but did not reply to Ling Tian's words. He knew Ling Tian was being modest and understanding, but he did not want them to feel indebted to him.

This increased Shang Moyu's curiosity about Ling Tian, who was this young man his own age? Where did he come from? What level did his cultivation level reach? Could it be that he reached the golden core realm as his sect master?

The curiosities in the rest also increased, realizing that although Ling Tian was a young man like them, his vision and thinking were far superior, having a profound mentality and wisdom, urging them not to give up.

This kind of fellow cultivator could only belong to a superior force, and could only have come to this place to adventure.

"Heh? Aren't you the top disciples of the mighty Clouds on the Horizon Sect number one?"

At once, a voice full of mockery and contempt attracted the attention of Shang Moyu and the others.

Ling Tian also looked up slightly, wanting to see the guys who were following them from afar a while ago.

Flying overhead on some flying swords, a group of men and women of different ages stopped and looked at Shang Moyu and the others. Some of them were riding in pairs on the same flying sword.

A young man in his 25s looked with an arrogant smile at Shang Moyu as he stopped in front of their group, implying that he was the leader of them.

"Na Wuyi!" Shang Moyu gritted his teeth and shouted somberly. His gaze finally showed a trace of murderous intent.

Chang Yi and the others also looked coldly at Na Wuyi and the others, even being surprised to notice some familiar faces.

"Junior brother Xuan! W-what are you doing with them?"

A young man beside Shang Moyu exclaimed in a daze before showing a furious expression as he saw one of the young men on one of the flying swords with someone else.

"Brother Hu! Long time no see!" Ming Xuan sneered as he proudly stood on his own flying sword, glaring at Hu Xuo with an arrogant look and said, "You and I are no longer martial brothers, so you better respect me since I joined the Sky Sword Sect!"

Hu Xuo looked at Ming Xuan, but did not respond as he clenched his fists and swallowed his words.

"What do you guys want? We already gave you everything we had when you destroyed the sect, and your sect master allowed us to leave! We don't owe you anything anymore!" Shang Moyu took a step forward and looked firmly at Na Wuyi even though the latter had a higher level than him.

"Hahaha! That you don't owe us anything? Hahaha!" Na Wuyi laughed madly before pointing at Shang Moyu and the others, "You all owe us your lives by not killing you! But since we don't like to be so cruel, we'll do you a favor by just handing over your stuff to us and we'll leave without doing anything to you!"

Na Wuyi looked unscrupulously at the storage bag hanging from Shang Moyu's waist, as well as at Hu Xuo, Chang Yi and the others.

According to his informants, these guys had been a bit lucky these past few days and had a chance encounter that granted them some cultivation resources!

Seeing some spatial storage bags on some of them, Na Wuyi confirmed it.

The guys following Na Wuyi let out arrogant and contempt-filled laughs, nodding at Na Wuyi's words while enjoying their suffering.

"You are an evil and shameless man! Aren't you ashamed and embarrassed to do this?"

Mio Yidan yelled at once, glaring at Na Wuyi as she stuck out her tongue towards him, not caring that the enemies were more than them.

"What are you saying, you stupid little girl?" Na Wuyi narrowed his eyes at the sight of Mio Yidan and immediately cast his aura towards her to teach her a lesson: "When the seniors are talking, kids must not interrupt!"

A terrifying aura that seemed to slightly shake the space emerged from Na Wuyi, heading towards Mio Yidan without a second thought.