Chapter 311 Willing to Give Up

"Fellow cultivator, here to play peacemaker again?"

Lu Ye looked at Shouren Daoist, as if seeing his past self, and couldn't help but smile faintly as he asked.

Shouren Daoist looked pained.

He always felt that Lu Ye's gaze could see straight through him, completely transparent.

But there was nothing he could do.

The willingness to face death by the Shanhai Sect's Sect Leader, Fengyu Daoist, had truly moved him.

He had initially thought Fengyu Daoist was merely making empty promises, never expecting him to truly be willing to die.

"Fellow cultivator, Fengyu Daoist is already dead. He was the root cause, momentarily led astray, but ordinarily, he was a decent man."

"The treasures of the Shanhai Sect—he has surrendered them all to you, Fellow cultivator!"

Though Shouren Daoist did not explicitly voice his plea, the way he uttered "Fellow cultivator" at the end was remarkably similar to Zhang Liao's three cries of "Yunchang" when Cao Cao fled the Huarong Trail—different words, same meaning.

However, Lu Ye was no Guan Yunchang.

While Shouren Daoist shared some common ground, their bond had not yet reached the level of bosom friendship.

"Have you forgotten how they treated you during the last peace talks?"

Only Shouren Daoist could make Lu Ye take the time to explain.

"I remember, but... but they've paid dearly enough."

Lu Ye shook his head.

"For you, it may be enough. But for me—it is not!"

"Fellow cultivator!"

Lu Ye sighed softly. "How about I help you abandon your cultivation path?"

Shouren Daoist froze.

He couldn't deny it—at that moment, he was actually tempted.

"Come, let me show you something."

Lu Ye's figure disappeared.

Shouren Daoist followed closely behind.

The two arrived one after another at a remote spot, where a gentle green glow appeared. The Dao Enlightenment Tree stretched its branches, appearing between sky and land.

Oh! Master finally remembered me!

It had been so, so long since it last appeared. Though it couldn't fight, and the master didn’t need its help in enlightenment either.

Serving this master was pure joy.

It would protect him with all its might!

The Dao Enlightenment Tree was ecstatic. Even if the master forgot about it, it would never bear any grudge. Instead, it would do everything to help him.

Taoist Master Shouren gaped at the Dao Enlightenment Tree.

The aura emanating from the Dao Enlightenment Tree was painfully familiar to him.

But this Dao...

Wasn't this downright horrifying?

Taoist Master Shouren was dumbstruck.

If his Guardian Dao was but a mere weed, then the Guardian Dao on this Dao Enlightenment Tree was like the towering mythical Fusang Tree—the difference between a firefly compared to the sun.

This was a Dao Enlightenment Tree. Even though Taoist Master Shouren had never seen a real one before, he knew it at once.

How could such a terrifying Guardian Dao appear on a Dao Enlightenment Tree?

Taoist Master Shouren considered himself no expert, but what level was this Dao?

Emperor Realm?

No, the Emperor Realm could never possess such a powerful Dao!

Quasi-Emperor?

As Taoist Master Shouren sensed this terrifying Guardian Dao, he realized—no, not a Quasi-Emperor, absolutely not. It was an Emperor!

At the very least, it was a Dao that had forged an Emperor's Dao Fruit.

Such a terrifying Guardian Dao...

As soon as Lu Ye released the Dao Enlightenment Tree, its branches reached out to him.

A thought brushed his mind:

*Cuddles~*

Lu Ye reached out and gently touched a branch, and the Dao Enlightenment Tree was instantly thrilled.

"This is..." Taoist Master Shouren asked, his voice rough.

Lu Ye nodded confirmation.

"Indeed, it is the Guardian Dao of an Emperor."

To present-day Taoist Master Shouren, there was no difference between a Celestial Lord and an Emperor, so Lu Ye couldn't be bothered to explain it was a Celestial Lord. Otherwise, Taoist Master Shouren might exclaim, "Holy hell, the Guardian Dao packs this much punch? It can actually be cultivated to the Celestial Lord level?"

"He..."

"He's dead."

"What?"

"Yeah."

An Emperor who cultivated the Guardian Dao had perished—why wasn't there even a rumor of this news spread?

"Could he be that guy you mentioned before, the one who was forsaken by everyone?" Taoist Master Shouren asked.

Lu Ye nodded.

"Yes!"

"Even after becoming an Emperor, one could still perish due to being betrayed by all?"

Lu Ye laughed.

"What does becoming an Emperor matter? Even if one were a Celestial Lord, after guarding others for a lifetime, only to be utterly betrayed by those very people, would there still be a reason to live?"

Daoist Shouren went quiet.

He lifted his head once more, gazing absently at the Dao Enlightenment Tree.

The aura of protection emanating from the Dao Enlightenment Tree was so overwhelming that it left him feeling woefully inadequate.

But it wasn't just strength...

Confusion clouded his eyes.

Even an Emperor had been brought low by the Guardian Dao to such an extent.

He couldn't help but wonder—was it that the Emperor had mishandled the Guardian Dao? And that he himself could wield it flawlessly?

At this moment, he looked back on his life.

Before attaining the Unity Dao Realm, life had been so beautiful. Precisely because of that beauty, he had chosen the Guardian Dao—he wanted to protect all that was good.

After merging with the Guardian Dao, he indeed became formidable, nearly unmatched among his peers.

He and his senior sister had grown up together and should have sworn themselves to each other. Yet, when he reached the Heavenly God Realm, she fell in love with someone else.

His master and sect, once kind, grew distant.

Originally, everyone treated him well because of his extraordinary talent and limitless promise.

But after cultivating the Guardian Dao, it became him showering everyone with kindness. The decent ones returned his kindness, but one day, someone with a conscience realized something.

Even if they didn’t reciprocate, Daoist Shouren would still treat them well.

Thus, once without reciprocation, twice without reciprocation, thrice without reciprocation.

Until it became expected as his duty.

In the end, all because of cultivating the Guardian Dao, he was nearly undone by his own sect.

Now, looking back, Daoist Shouren realized something.

He appeared to have friends everywhere, but in truth, he stood alone.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt an immediate bond with Lu Ye upon meeting him.

"I can help you purge the Guardian Dao. After that, if you’re willing, I can guide you to cultivate a new Dao."

"That’s possible?" Daoist Shouren was startled.

Lu Ye nodded.

Of course, no one else could pull this off—but Lu Ye wasn’t just anyone.

Back then, in order to help Shangguan Huanling restart her path of cultivating the Great Dao, he had tried countless methods.

Lu Ye spent years deducing, pouring all his wealth into the system, and scoured for treasures over thirty years, all to sustain the calculations.

In the end, he obtained a secret technique called "Stealing Heaven to Mend the Sun"!

Lu Ye was ecstatic at the time and immediately urged Shangguan Huanling to cultivate another Great Dao.

However, Shangguan Huanling... just couldn't get it.

She couldn't generate a new Great Dao.

She simply didn't comprehend any other Great Dao.

So thirty years of calculations led to... nothing. Lu Ye couldn't understand it back then—how could a Celestial Realm cultivator fail to cultivate even one other Great Dao?

But Shangguan Huanling? Nope. Just couldn't.