Suppressing the Xuanwu, The Daoist's Enlightenment

Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and within the mountain was a lake.

The lake's surface was as still as a magnificent gemstone, quiet and natural. Mist curled between the mountain and the lake, flowing silently, resembling a celestial realm.

An old man with a white beard, possessing an ethereal and immortal aura, stood by the lake's edge, perched on the mountainside. He pointed a finger casually...

Beneath the quiet lake surface, a black shadow appeared.

Right before Ye Fan's eyes,

A giant black catfish suddenly lunged out from the water!

Then, with one gulp!

It swallowed the Daoist who was sitting in meditation with closed eyes not far away.

...

On the cliff, the old Sect Master stood tall again with a composed demeanor, and the monstrous fish that had just jumped from the water also returned to silence.

The mist remained as before, the ripples as usual.

If he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes, everything just now would have seemed like a tall tale.

...

"Why is it like this..."

Ye Fan was already in the Deity Transformation realm, his body like a god's, invisible to mortals. Yet witnessing this was still hard to believe—the fish in the lake were actually raised this way.

Seeing that the old man had a Core Formation cultivation, he must be the Sect Master here, aside from the Daoist he just met?

The martial world sects were indeed not simple anywhere.

The ten great sects, Emei, Wudang, all had their own secrets...

Before Ye Fan closed his eyes,

"Ding, detected that the host is at a new location, Xuanwu Pond. Do you choose to sign in?"

"Confirm."

"Ding, congratulations on obtaining one Demon Suppressing Whip."

The Demon Suppressing Whip was incredibly damaged, having lost all its divinity through the Great War of Gods and Demons. It had been discarded by the Xuanwu Pond. It was once a powerful artifact that deterred the evil of the three realms, and its master was a person of great fame, shaking the nine heavens.

The silver long whip had just entered his hand, and the dense, misaligned scales covering the whip's body brought a bone-chilling sensation.

Holding it in his hand, a surge of killing intent seemed to rise, abruptly rushing into Ye Fan's head.

The balance of the three powers within Ye Fan's body had changed!

The Bone Infant, originally the strongest but always silent, began to erupt.

Ye Fan gripped the long whip with one hand and conveniently put on the Hehuan Sect mask with the other.

He confirmed once more,

"It is killing intent!"

Ye Fan could feel the rage within the silver whip coming from unceasing killing intent, and the paper-figure Bone Infant hidden in his body was also formed from the deaths of countless people... it was itself a composite of infinite killing intent.

Unreconciled grudges and rage before death gathered into power; how could there not be a backlash?

The Demon Suppressing Whip in his hand was like a fuse, igniting infinite killing intent within Ye Fan's body!

Moreover, Ye Fan had no intention of suppressing the Bone Infant, nor did he need to restrain himself!

...

"Buzz!"

The surrounding world seemed to echo with the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger amidst the clear mountains and waters where mist curled. Thunderous roars resounded continuously, shaking the earth and sky!

The old Daoist was fortunate enough to have practiced a solid horse stance, remaining as motionless as a pine tree!

However, the giant black catfish in the lake felt provoked.

"Rumble!"

The sound of thunder exploded from within the lake. The black figure leaped up, revealing sharp teeth. Its target suddenly shifted to Ye Fan on the shore!

The old Daoist shook his head.

He had also just noticed there was someone else by the lake.

However, seeing that familiar, eerie face.

The old Daoist suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, it wasn't a Daoist of this sect.

...

The monster in the lake soared up, hovering in mid-air.

The foul wind and the blood-stained green water seemed like its grand feast. Originally, it was already full...

But beside this Xuanwu Pond, someone dared to provoke it?

Ridiculous.

Humans were coarse-fleshed; even as food, they were substandard substitutes.

As opponents, were they even worthy?

...

The monster soared,

The stagnant water droplets dissolved into ripples, and the surrounding space seemed to be sealed off.

Although the Nascent Soul late-stage monster's strength was only one-tenth of what it once was, it was still the top combat power of the current sect!

Even that crazy old Martial Great-Uncle was only because he saw himself swallow a passing Daoist a thousand years ago, causing his Dao Heart to become unstable...

Since then, this sect had become its own dining hall!

...

Facing mortals, fear was always the best appetizer. It was just that the Daoists here didn't seem to know what fear was, making its food lose a bit of flavor.

However, today.

The person before it radiated a special flavor that made it unable to control itself.

"Too delicious, truly too delicious..."

The damp air emitted a destructive madness, and the sky-high killing intent mingled with the water droplets, locking the target onto itself.

The monster decided,

It must use its sharp teeth to savor every bit of rage on the opponent's body!

...

"Roar!"

Opening its mouth to swallow the heavens and earth.

The man wearing the White Fox mask disappeared into the monster's blood-basin-sized mouth.

...

The old Daoist shook his head. In a moment, the monster should be able to sleep for another ten years?

The old Daoist turned around, intending to continue his cultivation...

...

A pity.

A pillar of white light shot up to the heavens!

It was a silver-white dragon, a glory that once belonged to Wudang, long since forgotten.

"Rip, rip, rip..."

The ugly monster was torn open with a large hole, and the golden blood on its body splashed continuously into the surrounding lake.

The old Daoist's legs went soft, and he slumped to the ground.

"Xuanwu... actually lost?"

...

The silver-white dragon soared into the sky, transforming into nine heads!

In mid-air, the masked man with blood-red pupils was like a demon king. His seemingly small body manifested a white-faced divine figure clad in armor!

This illusory statue was seen tightly grasping the monster in its hands!

Within the usually peaceful sect, the sounds of unceasing screams and groans now echoed!

It was the monster's cry of agony.

Its massive body before the divine figure's phantom was like fat on a chopping board, unable to move!

Now, before absolute power, it could only wail!

...

Zhang Yuzi, whose realm had fallen, came running at the sound.

The lakeside had always been the place he feared most.

Though he had forgotten the reason in his memories, he had never forgotten the inherent fear.

The small pond behind the Taihe Hall was the mask he used to pretend he wasn't afraid... He often fed the fish by the pond, but from beginning to end, he was terrified to take another step, fearing the ugly monsters in the lake would swallow him in one gulp.

This time.

Looking at the monster dodging in mid-air, only to be brutalized by the silver light.

Zhang Yuzi's small eyes shifted from dazed to clear!

"I remember, I remember everything."

A thousand years ago, he had tried to stop the monster but almost became its meal.

Not only that, but his Senior Brother had even scolded Zhang Yuzi.

"Good and evil in the world are not absolute; only strength is the Heavenly Dao!"

...

"If the world does not distinguish between right and wrong, does becoming strong mean becoming the embodiment of evil?"

...

The words of yesteryear echoed in his ears.

Looking at the divine figure displaying divine might in mid-air, the core of the Daoist, as hard as cold iron, finally developed a small crack...

The Daoist attained enlightenment,

"I was not wrong,
The heavens and earth do not fail to distinguish good and evil,
The only thing wrong was that I was not strong enough!"

...