But then again, the fractured Dao Domain fragments within Mo Xu's body, Chen Kuang didn't believe the people at Martial Saint Pavilion would have been completely unaware of them.
It's just that, currently, the Martial Saint himself had likely returned to seclusion and no longer intervened in affairs.
The one left in charge, Pavilion Master Wen Hongsheng, was only at the Master Realm and likely lacked the ability to precisely discern the presence of a Dao Domain.
After all, not everyone was like Chen Kuang,
able to experience a Dao Domain firsthand despite being in a relatively low cultivation realm.
To ordinary cultivators, a fragment like this would only seem like a leftover trace of "Dao Rhyme," not the Dao itself.
So, what exactly is a "Dao Rhyme"?
It is the externalized and scattered trace of Dao, revealed from those who have grasped it.
At the Master Realm, the Dao one comprehends has not yet been recognized by Heaven's Law; it is only an embryonic concept.
Such a Dao cannot manifest externally.
Only those who have ascended to the Upper Third Grade Realms, whose Dao has been acknowledged by Heaven, can manifest phenomena, brief distortions in the laws of the world when they enact their Dao.
These temporary distortions are called Dao Rhyme.
Sometimes, this manifestation occurs intentionally; other times, unintentionally.
For instance, the Preaching Stele on Mount Tai was a deliberate creation left by the Martial Saint.
But there are also countless ancient ruins where the marks of Dao Rhyme were left accidentally by saints of ancient times long since vanished.
Over the millennia, many have attained a Dao by comprehending these lingering Dao Rhymes, ascending to sainthood themselves.
Now, Mo Xu's condition closely resembled that of someone who, after being used as a vessel for the Martial Saint, had unknowingly become another Preaching Stele.
If Chen Kuang had not possessed the Piercing Insight passive, and if he had not personally experienced a true Dao Domain, he too would have mistaken what remained in Mo Xu's body as mere Dao Rhyme.
Had Mo Xu's cultivation still been intact, his meridians whole, then this sliver of the Martial Saint's Dao Rhyme would have been a heaven-sent opportunity.
Countless people pilgrimage to Mount Tai to comprehend just one wisp of that Dao Rhyme.
But unfortunately, Mo Xu was now, essentially, a cripple.
For him, even the strongest Dao Rhyme would be utterly useless.
He couldn't even serve as a human Preaching Stele, because the so-called "Dao Rhyme" inside him was fractured and disordered, its essence was a chaotic mess.
However... what no one could possibly imagine was, that this wasn't Dao Rhyme at all.
It was a Dao Domain.
This wasn't the trace left by Dao, it was Dao itself.
Chen Kuang couldn't determine why a portion of the Martial Saint's Dao Domain had been imprinted onto Mo Xu.
Maybe when the Martial Saint descended, Chen Kuang's interference broke the balance between body and soul, causing a fragment of the Dao Domain to imprint onto him.
Or perhaps Mo Xu possessed some extraordinary constitution that allowed a Dao Domain to linger within him.
But... that wasn't important.
It had nothing to do with Chen Kuang's present goals.
He had never relied on promises of future favors; he always acted for the present.
And Mo Xu's Dao Domain, was simply an unexpected windfall.
The two of them continued speaking casually, as though no one else were present.
The surrounding cultivators could only glance at each other helplessly, not daring to interrupt.
Even the one whose sword had been snapped and arm crippled had only managed to grit his teeth and slink away in humiliation.
No one else dared to act rashly.
That man was at the Innate Realm.
None of those present possessed any higher cultivation.
Seeing this, they could easily grasp how strong Chen Kuang must be.
Self-preservation is instinct.
As long as one retained a shred of reason, no one would go courting death.
Chen Kuang simply treated them as if they were invisible.
Now that a Saint had made a move, how long could he even keep his identity hidden?
He hadn't even bothered to conceal his face,
and wasn't afraid of being overheard.
Besides, some truths were not weakened by exposure.
For example, a lie woven entirely from truths.
Chen Kuang looked at Mo Xu and asked:
"Now that you've experienced it, what do you think of the Martial Saint Pavilion?"
Mo Xu glanced awkwardly at the cultivators nearby who were pretending not to listen, then hesitated.
He had grown up in a brothel,crawled through the mire of vanity and schemes.
He had seen all kinds of people and knew well how the world worked.
He understood what should and shouldn't be said.
Especially since the man standing before him... had once died at the Martial Saint's hands.
Eventually, Mo Xu took a deep breath and carefully answered:
"I think...the Martial Saint Pavilion did nothing wrong. Or rather, they merely made the most rational decision."
"In my state, I really shouldn't have been kept around. Selecting the best of the best is what made the Martial Saint Pavilion so renowned in the first place, and that's how they'll stay that way."
"Just the fact that the Preaching Stele existed at all was already a generous opportunity for someone like me... In the end, I simply failed to grasp it."
Excellent..
"Piercing Insight" had activated, this was a lie.
Mo Xu's words were spoken with deep emotion,
but not a single sentence was true.
Chen Kuang smiled:
"Good. Then let me ask you, If you were given the opportunity to return to the Martial Saint Pavilion, would you take it?"
Mo Xu blinked, then quickly waved his hands:
"That's impossible now. Look at me..."
He smiled bitterly:
"Even if they accepted me again, I'd be a joke. Please... don't go out of your way for me."
No one understood his body's condition better than he did.
Right now, he was like a sieve.
All his spiritual orifices and meridians were like open holes and there was no way to block them.
Spiritual Energy flowed through him unhindered, just like air.
The Pavilion Master of the Martial Saint Pavilion, the very man who turned him into a vessel, had merely glanced at him after the Martial Saint left and pronounced him useless.
"So, you're saying...if the opportunity existed, you would still be willing?"
Chen Kuang clapped him on the shoulder and said meaningfully:
"Don't worry. You'll get what you wish for."
Mo Xu paused.
Although the impression was brief, Chen Kuang had struck him as a very clever man, surely, he could tell Mo Xu's words weren't heartfelt.
Yet he still said this?
Did that mean he was referring to Mo Xu's true thoughts?
Mo Xu's heart skipped a beat.
Impossible...
But as the doubt surfaced in his mind, Chen Kuang seemed to sense something, grabbed his shoulder and said:
"Come with me."
Mo Xu instinctively tried to step back, but Chen Kuang said:
"Just cooperate this once, think of it as repaying me."
Mo Xu froze.
The next instant, Chen Kuang was already taking him upstairs.
...
Inside the secret chamber, the four elders of Mountain-Sea Alliance present in the Yang Kingdom had already gathered.
Aside from "White Fox" Yu Xiangsi, the other three were "Xiangliu," "Fine Rain," and "Red Umbrella."
Among them, Fine Rain was at the Moon-Embracing Realm, while Xiangliu and Red Umbrella were at Sea-Cleaving Realm.
In fact, Yu Xiangsi held the lowest status.
However, with Spiritual Energy sealed, her innate Divine Ability: "Substitute Death with Tail" made her more advantageous than the others.
If not for her recently declining in cultivation, she would've been their main fighting force.
At the highest seat sat a solemn-faced child.
This child was delicate and flawless, like a porcelain doll.
His feet dangled from the chair and didn't touch the ground, but beneath his tightly furrowed brow, his eyes shone with a chilling seriousness and severity.
This was the Alliance Leader of the Mountain-Sea Alliance, Kui.
He had just listened as the elders debated how to handle the sudden emergence of the merfolk youth, and the chaotic situation in Zangfeng Prefecture.
But before they could reach a decision, from outside came the long, droning call of a war horn.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like thunder, or the cadence of soldiers marching in formation. Even the ground began to tremble...
The elders' faces immediately changed.
Someone had entered from outside Zangfeng Prefecture!
...
Kui jumped down from his seat and waved his hand to open the chamber door:
"Now I want to hear your plan for defeating the army of the Prince of Jingnan with jusst us."
"No, not just us."
Chen Kuang smiled:
"In truth... the Martial Saint himself has been displeased with the Department of Shennong and the Yang Kingdom for quite some time now."
Kui frowned:
"Martial Saint?"
Chen Kuang stepped aside, revealing the figure behind him.
Following behind...
Mo Xu: "...?!!!"