Though Li Qiye was cultivating inside the ancestral shrine, he wasn’t actually there right now.

His body was inside a boundless ocean. However, it wasn’t filled with surging water but rather the energy of the world - the essences of the dao and dense true energy.

The waves were made of runes containing profound mysteries. Each rune was part of a greater text; all were supreme merit laws.

The sky here had shimmering stars. Their illumination made this place beautiful and full of life.

However, these stars were actually dao laws. When they fell down into the ocean, they would turn into runes.

This was a cyclical world with constant gestation. Time and space didn’t seem to exist here so one would reach the mythical state of immortality.

It was the dao source of Immortal Demon - their foundation and everything.

This place remained a mystery to its descendants. Some said that Eight Trigrams had control of it once, the same for Mountguard…

A more popular one stated that the source has always been under Longevity Hall’s control. That’s the reason why this sect always had Everlastings and maintained its authority over the system.

In reality, the source never belonged to a single person or sect. It was special and independent, continuing to gather the faith and determination of the system members for generations. This eventually gave birth to the avatar in the form of the statue outside the ancestral shrine.

The boundless dao power and worldly essences surrounded Li Qiye. Every inch of his flesh was brimming with power.

Of course, he wasn’t trying to take it for his own or becoming one with this dao source. He simply intended on borrowing its power in order to accelerate the internal refinement process.

Everlasting Forefather was an incredible being so the dao source he created was immensely heaven-defying as well.

Though the system was no longer in its golden age, its dao source didn’t weaken in the slightest. Its actual potential exceeded everyone’s imagination so it was very helpful for Li Qiye.

Such pure power from the dao source couldn’t be obtained for most people. Given the opportunity, most would absorb this force and take it as their own. Some would even think about combining themselves with the dao source in order to use it to gestate their own power.

Li Qiye had no such thoughts. Plus, this was the lifework and legacy of Everlasting Forefather.

Li Qiye had a fateful connection to both Everlasting Xiao and Everlasting Forefather so he wouldn’t take their legacy.

***

Meanwhile, the entire system was in a lull, more peaceful than ever before. In fact, nothing big had happened in Immortal Lineage World recently.

Because people of this, some have forgotten about the prophecy - the heavenly change heralds a monster. [1]

A dark ray crossed through the sky today while everyone was deep asleep. Not to mention ordinary experts, even progenitors couldn’t spot it.

It had a flickering golden glow. The black and gold kept on interchanging and twisting, seemingly competing with each other. None had the upper hand.

Li Qiye inside the dao source opened his eyes and activated his heavenly gaze, instantly locking onto this darkness.

“This is…?” His eyes narrowed and sent out a terrifying radiance. Each strand of light could cut out a new world.

“You should be familiar with this presence.” The existence on the verge of death inside his dao heart was still very sensitive to this dark ray.

“Boom!” It smashed into a desolate location belonging to the Academy of Light.

A million miles around the crash point instantly melted into lava with a dark shade. The place became evil as if devils could come out at any moment.

In the next second, strands of sacred light drilled out of the ground and began refining the dark land.

At the same time, Li Qiye's body flashed and he crossed through numerous realms and domains, instantly entering the Academy of Light.

“Boom!” A shockwave emanated from the area and alarmed numerous top existences, such as progenitors.

One progenitor stood up and surveyed the world. He didn’t know where it came from just yet but still exercised caution.

“How can this nefarious intent be here?!” Another progenitor calculated the event. His expression soured as a result.

He then activated his heavenly gaze in order to find the exact landing location of this darkness.

All of these great beings were slower than Li Qiye since he had already made it to this remote region.

He saw the black lava instantly incinerating anything that comes in contact with it and the sacred lights from the ground trying to fight back.

The latter seemed to be endless and relentless. They seemed tiny compared to the gushing lava but giving up didn’t seem to be a part of their nature. One wave came after another. If this continued, they would certainly be able to purify this evil land in time.

“A saint or devil?” Li Qiye became sentimental during his observation: “No wonder why the old man said that he used to be a man of light before succumbing to the darkness. His sacred self still eventually faltered to the unending tides of darkness. Or, maybe his light originated from a survival standpoint, a last-ditch effort in trying to save himself from the darkness.”

No one had an answer because no one knew the state of mind of the progenitor from the Academy of Light during that moment.

“It comes down to a single thought.” Li Qiye shook his head and entered deeper.

1. Remember, monster here is the word for ‘fierce’, Li Qiye’s first title. Monster is a close meaning as in a horrifying existence, not an actual monster.