"Do you know what you are saying?"
The old man's voice was low, his gaze as cold as ice upon Lin Chuan.
In an instant, Lin Chuan felt the temperature around him drop significantly. The faint sense of crisis in his heart grew more intense.
Sensing this, Lin Chuan immediately activated the spiritual energy in his dantian to resist the ascending trend. Seeing this, Li Xuan's heart moved, and he instantly soared upwards.
Li Xuan had actually been observing Lin Chuan's choice after sending the telepathic message. Had Lin Chuan chosen to ignore it, Li Xuan would not have intervened. But Lin Chuan's current actions undoubtedly showed he harbored suspicions about this Heavenly Dao. Since that was the case, Li Xuan naturally did not want to lose a helper.
Most importantly, Lin Chuan had now met the conditions for ascension. In this Chaotic City, he was the strongest existence.
"Look, who is that?"
"Something seems amiss. Look, Fellow Daoist Lin Chuan appears to have stopped."
"Fellow Daoist Lin Chuan is on the verge of ascension, why does it seem like he's refusing it?"
"..."
Li Xuan's actions undoubtedly drew everyone's attention. Looking further up, they instantly discovered that Lin Chuan was desperately resisting the suction of the ascension path.
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in confusion.
At this moment, Lin Chuan also noticed Li Xuan's movement and immediately understood. The telepathic message had come from Li Xuan. What puzzled Lin Chuan was how Li Xuan knew that ascension was a path to death.
"So the source of all this is you." The old man's gaze shifted slightly towards Li Xuan, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
"This so-called ascension path, you must have designed it, right? I'm very curious, how did you manage to impersonate the Heavenly Dao without fearing its retribution?" Li Xuan asked with a slight smile.
Li Xuan's voice was not concealed, and everyone present was stunned.
The Heavenly Dao was fake?
Hearing this, Lin Chuan's heart was reconfirmed; the person who sent the telepathic message was indeed Li Xuan.
"It seems that after raising fish for too long, it's easy for some anomalies to appear. The last time I was discovered was over a thousand years ago. Little fellow, if I were to kill all of you, would the Heavenly Dao know?" the old man asked with a sinister laugh.
The expressions of everyone present changed, their gazes towards the old man filled with terror.
The Heavenly Dao was actually fake!
In an instant, some of the spirit masters with strong minds moved to the sky, their gazes locked onto the old man. After all, the old man's words had included them.
The remaining small portion of spirit masters looked somewhat pale. It was clear that the news of the Heavenly Dao being fake had a significant impact on them.
Li Xuan understood; sometimes, when faith collapses, some people find it difficult to accept.
"Little Master, you need to get closer to them," the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Just as he had ascended to the sky, Li Xuan had made arrangements with the Heavenly Dao Brush. According to the brush, as long as Li Xuan got close to Lin Chuan, it could erase and suppress the Soul Devouring Worms in his divine soul.
When other powerhouses from Chaotic City ascended, Li Xuan, with the intention of saving as many as possible, communicated with the Heavenly Dao Brush again. The brush understood Li Xuan's intentions and transmitted its reply.
After all, there were no less than a hundred powerhouses ascending at this moment. Some of them were indeed quite far from Li Xuan's position.
"Little Brush, how much time will it take? If it takes too long, this guy will definitely sense something is wrong," Li Xuan asked mentally.
"If it's to directly suppress and eradicate them like with you, Little Master, it would take about a minute. However, to merely make the Soul Devouring Worms dormant and prevent them from being controlled by this guy, it only takes a few breaths. For everyone here, I need five minutes," the Heavenly Dao Brush replied.
"Thank you for your trouble." Li Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If each one took a minute, it would be impossible to save these hundred people. Moreover, this fake Heavenly Dao was not a fool, and wouldn't give Li Xuan so much time.
However, five minutes was a duration Li Xuan could manage to stall for.
"Killing all of us, I believe you have the ability to do so. But if we were to join forces and forcefully break through this Chaotic Land, I believe you wouldn't be able to hide then, would you?" Li Xuan said, looking at the old man, then moved slowly towards the left.
Li Xuan did not know how the Heavenly Dao Brush operated. However, Li Xuan knew one thing: the brush's range of action was only within three meters of his own body. Therefore, as Li Xuan spoke and moved, his gaze never left the old man.
Li Xuan knew that once the old man discovered the anomaly, these people would likely become enemies in an instant.
Besides, the Heavenly Dao Brush needed time. The only thing Li Xuan could do was stall.
With just Li Xuan and Lin Chuan, they might not be able to suppress this fake Heavenly Dao.
"Join forces? Little fellow, you overestimate yourselves." The old man let out a cold snort and then waved his hand. The powerhouses below trembled and instantly turned into a mist of blood.
Seeing this, those in the sky turned pale with shock. Some even retreated several steps backward.
It was important to note that the spirit masters who could come to Chaotic City were all at the peak of the Sovereign Realm. Yet, with a simple move from the old man, nearly thirty Sovereign Realm powerhouses were wiped out!
"Why aren't you attacking me?" Li Xuan's expression became solemn, and he gained a clearer understanding of the terrifying nature of the Soul Devouring Worms. Li Xuan knew that the old man's actions were merely controlling the Soul Devouring Worms.
"You surprise me greatly, to be able to perceive my scheme. Furthermore, I need to show you the consequences of exposing it." The old man chuckled sinisterly and then pointed at Lin Chuan, saying, "I originally planned to have someone as mature as him satisfy my appetite, as he had already fulfilled my needs.
"But you emerged at this moment. Tell me, how can I continue to 'raise' them?"
Raise them?
The powerhouses present all wore expressions of anger. Beings as powerful as them were treated as livestock to be raised in the old man's eyes!
"There's another reason I'm not killing you for now. You possess great fortune and are a destined individual. You are not yet mature, so your taste is somewhat lacking. Once I've dealt with them, I will then fatten you up. That's when you'll be a truly delicious meal."
After speaking, the old man inhaled deeply with a look of rapture, as if he were already savoring a feast.
"Little Master, not good, you've been discovered!" At this moment, the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice suddenly sounded in Li Xuan's mind.
Li Xuan's expression changed slightly. The old man's face instantly turned grim. The next moment, the old man's eyelids drooped, and he fixed his gaze intently on Li Xuan.
"You've been stalling for time all along!"