The morning sunlight cascaded down from the cloudless blue sky. In a clean, spacious courtyard in the distant mountain range, a group of youngsters was sitting cross-legged in meditation, breathing in and out the aeth qi essence of heaven and earth. The older ones were seventeen to eighteen years old, while the younger ones were still little kids in open-crotch pants.[1] At this hour, the old, experienced villagers had already gone into the mountains, either to hunt for food or to collect herbs. Lin Xun was in a rattan rocking chair in the courtyard. His eyes were idly squinted, and his demeanor leisurely and cozy. The early morning wind brushed past him, carrying the smell of fresh grass. The gentle sunlight sprinkled on him, not blinding but instead very comforting. It had been two years. He had become a teacher trusted by the whole village. This courtyard was the school, and the youngsters in the village were his students. What he needed to do was instruct these students to cultivate. Initially, the villagers had been worried and unsure because of how young he looked, and since his cultivation had been damaged, he seemed unreliable. However, as Xiao Xi's cultivation skyrocketed in less than three months, placing her far ahead of her peers thanks to Lin Xun’s frequent instructions, the village finally realized how frightening his attainments were despite his weak appearance. This led to them to come to his door with all kinds of mountain products and wine so that their children could also cultivate under him. Lin Xun naturally wouldn’t refuse. He then taught the youngsters according to their aptitude while providing answers to any questions they had. He even imparted different daos and techniques to them according to their physique and temperament. With his current cultivation, his mastery of the complete Immortal dao from the last epoch, as well as the various arts he had acquired along the way, he was now a case of ‘being able to understand everything from just fathoming one thing.’ Not to mention teaching these children, guiding Emperor experts was absolutely not a big deal for him. Moreover, he was still the first supreme All Daos Ancestor in all of history! The progress of the children had been obvious. Many villagers were overjoyed as it even exceeded their expectations. Therefore, they treated Lin Xun with heartfelt admiration and hospitality like he was one of their own. Village Chief Wuchuan was pleased to see this. He often lamented that when the youngsters grew up, they would definitely have higher achievements and go much further than the elders on the path of dao. “Emergency! The chief along with many others have been trapped by a large demon near the Fallen God Pool!” a hasty and anxious shout suddenly resounded in the distance, breaking the tranquil atmosphere. The youngsters meditating in the courtyard became restless. “Do not be distracted. Continue cultivating. I'll go and take a look.” Lin Xun stood up from the rocking chair. As his casual voice rang through the yard, it seemed to spread a power that directly impacted people’s hearts. The youngsters quickly calmed down. He looked at Xiao Xi, “Xiao Xi, help me look after this place.” “Yes!” Xiao Xi had grown into a graceful young girl over the course of two years. She not only looked delicate but also strong and lively, having none of the pure childlikeness she did in the past. Lin Xun vanished into thin air. “Fallen God Pool... That place has been a zone of great perils since forever. How did the chief and the others get trapped there? The situation cannot be good...” The youngsters started discussing as soon as Lin Xun left. Many were very anxious. One of them couldn't help but wonder, “Say, do you guys think Master Lin can handle this?” Master Lin was the honorific that the village children used to call Lin Xun. Another said in a low voice, “My father said that although Master Lin possesses all kinds of legacies and unimaginable wisdom, his injuries are too severe. It's been two years since he came to our village, and he still hasn't completely healed by now. “When the adults talk about Master Lin, they all seem sorry for him, believing that his injuries have most likely affected his dao foundation. They think it’d be very difficult for him to ever recover completely.” “So to speak, Master Lin won’t be able to deal with this?” “Who knows? No one has ever seen Master Lin make a move. What's more, he’s still injured. Even if he was very powerful before, now... Alas!” While the youngsters had the utmost respect and admiration for their teacher, they all knew that he was injured. In these past two years, they had never seen him in action either, which made them have little confidence in what he was about to do. “Why don't we go with him and help out as much as we can? There's always strength in numbers!” someone proposed. Googlᴇ search 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩 “You are reckless!” Xiao Xi scolded as she glared at the proposer. “Master Lin just told us to focus on cultivating. Whoever dares to think nonsense again, I'll beat you up!” The group shut up at once. Xiao Xi was now the leader of the village youngsters as her strength dominated every single one of her peers. To them, she was an authoritative figure. “If Big Brother Daoyuan decides to act, it means he can definitely bring Grandpa and the others back safe and sound!” murmured Xiao Xi. When no one was around, she still preferred calling Lin Xun Big Brother Daoyuan. The Fallen God Pool, perennially shrouded in blood-colored fog, had been regarded as the most perilous place since the beginning of time. A long time ago, a powerful expert from Qingliu City once came and inquired about it, but after entering the blood-red area of the Fallen God Pool, this person had never emerged again. This incident had even caused a sensation in Qingliu City, attracting numerous cultivators to come find that expert, but none dared to venture into the perilous zone again. At the moment, Village Chief Wuchuan and around seven other villagers were being trapped in the blood-red fog. They had difficulties breathing, and their cultivation bases had been confined by a strange suppression that prevented them from even moving a finger. “We’re finished... Dead...” somebody said bitterly. They had been hunting a monster-beast. Who would have thought that the beast would lure them to the Fallen God Pool area instead? When they decided to return, it was already too late. It wasn't because they were careless. Instead, the monster-beast, although being at only the quasi-Emperor Stage, had the ability to deceive and mislead people's hearts. As a result, their minds had been unconsciously muddled, causing them to be led to this place. “Chief, what do we do now?” a person asked Wuchuan. Wuchuan's stalwart face was also covered with gloom. Only after a long silence did he whisper, “What else can we do? We can only...leave it to fate...” Hearing the despair seeping out from his voice, the others couldn't help but feel a deep sadness rising from their hearts. Suddenly, a black figure shot out from the thick scarlet fog and transformed into a fierce beast. It had the features of lions and tigers while also being covered in ebony scales. It had glossy-green pupils and a blood-red horn on its head. Wuchuan’s group was frightened. They instantly recognized it to be the same ferocious beast that they had been chasing before—the Black Mo![2] As soon as the Black Mo appeared, its fur radiated circles of bizarre, black spirit light that enveloped the group of humans. Their eyes instantly glazed over, and their consciousness became muddled. The Black Mo's green eyes glowed with a strange color as it emitted a mysterious, heavy voice, “Ten thousand feet forward is the Fallen God Pool, at the depths of which there is a divine herb that grows on law power. If any of you can harvest it for me, I will allow you all to leave.” “Go.” The beast waved its claw, and the blood-red fog instantly separated into a path. Manipulated, Wuchuan’s group started treading along the path like puppets. The Black Mo followed closely behind. Before long, a black pool that had a radius of around a thousand feet appeared in their vision. All around the pool were piles of rotten bones that belonged to not only humans but also many other races. The sight of densely packed bones that had been here for who-knew-how-long would make anyone shudder. Above the pool water, wisps of blood-red fog were stagnant, eerie, and intimidating as they resembled chains of heavenly law power. This was Fallen God Pool, a perilous place of unknowns! The Black Mo kept a good distance from the pool as it chanted, “Use your cultivation to leap into the pool one by one. Remember, do not touch those wisps of blood-colored fog.” Wuchuan’s group seemed to be oblivious to the danger as they approached it step by step. Right at this juncture, there was a swish. A handsome figure suddenly appeared out of thin air, blocking the villagers’ path. It was none other than Lin Xun. “Chief, I’m here to bring you all back,” he said with a smile. The casual, normal sentence, when falling into the ears of Wuchuan’s group, rang like the wonderful sound of the almighty dao. It was filled with a deafening, sacred power of enlightenment. Wuchuan’s group only felt like something was thundering in their spirits, breaking the shackles that controlled their minds. They instantly came to their senses from the muddled state. They were first stunned to see Lin Xun, and then, when the realization hit them, their expressions changed and chills ran through their hearts. They knew that if he hadn’t appeared, they would likely have entered the vicious and unfathomable Fallen God Pool without being able to control themselves. “Why are you not affected by the curse in this place?” The Black Mo's green eyes locked onto Lin Xun from far away, startled and angered by his abrupt appearance. “Little friend, be careful of this monster-beast. It has a secret spirit technique that makes it an expert at bewitching people, pulling them into a dream without realizing that their life will be at its mercy!” Wuchuan quickly reminded Lin Xun with an apprehensive look. “Don't worry, Chief. This beast can't make any waves,” Lin Xun laughed warmly. His words were nonchalant, but the contempt within them took Wuchuan’s group aback. Their impression of Lin Xun during these years had always been that of a humble and peaceful person. This was the first time they had seen him so domineering and lofty. The distant Black Mo let out a low, obscure roar. From its fur, circles of ebony light rippled out, seeking to envelope Lin Xun. “This beast does not know its own limitations,” uttered Lin Xun with disdain in his eyes. Those circles of ebony light suddenly shattered and dispersed like they had been swept through by a hurricane. Following that, the Black Mo let out a miserable, harrowing hiss. Its eyes exploded, and blood spurted out from its mouth and ears. It fell on the ground, twitching violently as its shrieks echoed through the skies and earth. Lin Xun made a grabbing gesture in the air, and the huge body of the Black Mo swiftly became the size of a hand before falling into his palm. Wuchuan’s group was immediately dumbstruck, jaws and eyes agape. 1. Pants that have a large opening at the crotch and are worn while kids are not potty trained. ☜ 2. A mythical dream-eating beast ☜