The World that Tao Rules, Volume 19, page 6
"Ah!"
A sharp scream came from the Wuding Soul Fire, echoing within this vast world crack, resonating in everyone's ears, causing their expressions to change slightly.
Especially for Taoist Lord, he never expected that he had spent so much to invite the ghost clan Sen Luo, only to be so easily defeated in front of Jiang Yun.
However, it's not Sen Luo's fault.
As a clone of Taoist Lord, he knew very well that the Soul Clan could counter the ghost clan, so before the ultimate battle began, he first broke the Soul Clan and forced them to submit.
The purpose was to prevent the Soul Clan from surviving, making all ghost clans, including Sen Luo, useless.
But even though the Taoist Lord calculated everything, he didn't expect that the ghost clan under San Luo would disappear with the destruction of the Desolate World.
Now, even though the Soul Clan won't attack San Luo, Jiang Yun, as an outsider, can control the sacred object of the Soul Clan.
Even though the Taoist Lord doesn't know how Jiang Yun did it, at this point, San Luo clearly cannot be relied upon.
"It looks like I have to take matters into my own hands!"
Watching San Luo, who was gradually shrinking under the Wuding Soul Fire, with his cries getting weaker and weaker, on the verge of disappearing, another voice suddenly sounded in Jiang Yun's ears.
"Jiang Yun, don't kill me, I'm not San Luo, I'm Jiang Gui, I'm Jiang Gui!"
"I know the secret of the Jiang Clan!"
Chapter 1021: Challenging the Taoist Lord
Jiang Gui!
When Jiang Yun heard the sound and the name, he was surprised at first, but then he remembered.
On Tianluo Mountain in the Land of Fallen Realm, there was a Tao Achieving Demon named Jiang Gui who had helped Jiang Yun secretly a few times to deceive Tianluo.
Later, Jiang Gui even caused the appearance of the Mirage, a sacred item of the Jiang Clan, to help Jiang Yun. It was then that he told Jiang Yun about the great kindness Jiang Clan had shown him, which is why he helped Jiang Yun.
However, Jiang Yun had some doubts about Jiang Gui's true motives.
Because Jiang Gui's actions in bringing out the Mirage initially seemed helpful, but actually exposed the fact that he was not afraid of the Jiang Clan's sacred item.
At that moment, hearing Jiang Gui speak those words made Jiang Yun understand.
Jiang Gui also entered this illusion, playing the role of Sen Luo.
Although Jiang Yun remembered Jiang Gui, especially the last sentence about knowing the Jiang Clan's secret, which did touch Jiang Yun, he decided to test Jiang Gui.
"Since you have awakened to consciousness yet still acted against me, why should I spare you?"
Jiang Yun had no idea when Jiang Gui woke up, he was just pretending now.
If Jiang Gui had already regained consciousness, fighting with Jiang Yun as Sen Luo showed he wasn't sincerely trying to help, but had other plans.
Jiang Gui was also surprised, and after a moment of silence he hurriedly said, "No, I just woke up!"
Although Jiang Gui's reaction was quick, that moment of silence made Jiang Yun sure that he was lying!
Despite laughing inside, Jiang Yun calmly said, "Since you helped me secretly several times back at Tianluo Mountain, I will let you go this time."
"However, I need you to serve me temporarily, so I will leave a life fire mark in your soul, just in case."
Jiang Gui spoke again, "You don't need to bother, the Jiang Clan has been kind to me, and since you are from the Jiang Clan, I will obey your orders..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yun rudely interrupted, "Reveal your true form!"
Even though Jiang Gui didn't want to, he dared not disobey Jiang Yun's command now.
So, within the Wuding Soul Fire, Senluo's figure suddenly fell into a still state, with empty eyes standing motionless there.
And within his body, a faint illusionary shadow appeared.
This shadow was clearly a...turtle!
Furthermore, this turtle only had one eye.
This reminded Jiang Yun of how Tianluo Sect used to select disciples, just by being glanced at.
So, this was the true meaning of being glanced at.
What made Jiang Yun somewhat amused was whether the Desolate World tribe intentionally or unintentionally set up this illusion, making Jiang Gui play the role of Senluo.
Senluo's ghostly eye was also damaged by his own life fire, leaving him with only one eye too!
Jiang Yun flicked his finger, and a wisp of his own life fire flew into the Wuding Soul Fire, heading straight towards Jiang Gui's body.
At the same time, Jiang Yun loudly said, "Don't resist, accept this fire, become my servant, and I will spare your life!"
Jiang Yun did this on purpose so that everyone could hear.
Jiang Gui allowed Jiang Yun's life fire to enter his soul, but Jiang Yun waved his hand, causing Jiang Gui to spit out the Wuding Soul Fire.
Without saying a word, Jiang Gui bowed to Jiang Yun and obediently stood behind him.
Everyone watching was shocked by this scene.
They couldn't hear the conversation between Jiang Yun and Jiang Gui, nor could they see what happened inside the Wuding Soul Fire.
Therefore, to them, the person who was originally helping the Taoist Lord and trying to turn Jiang Yun into a ghost slave had now become Jiang Yun's servant instead.
This was indeed a very dramatic scene!
However, even though Jiang Gui betrayed the Taoist Lord, the burning of the Wuding Soul Fire had greatly weakened his power, making him no longer a threat.
"Tell me later about the secrets of the Jiang Clan that you know!"
After Jiang Gui relayed the message to Jiang Yun again, Jiang Yun finally looked at Taoist Lord and said, "Taoist Lord, I am tired of this big battle. How about we have a one-on-one fight to settle this once and for all!"
After dealing with the Senluo, the current Jiang Yun finally directly challenged Taoist Lord.
Even though earlier everyone could sense the provocation in Jiang Yun's gaze towards Taoist Lord, seeing Jiang Yun openly challenge Taoist Lord still left them somewhat shocked.
Taoist Lord, the most powerful figure after the nine silent clans, not only established the Hall of Deicide that could rival the nine silent clans, but also has already wiped out six major clans and is now about to have the ultimate battle with the last three major clans.
Such a person, in terms of strength and cunning, is absolutely terrifyingly powerful.
Even the leader of the nine silent clans would probably not dare to challenge Taoist Lord directly unless pushed to a corner.
But now, Jiang Yun has done it!
A cultivator from the Earth Protection Realm daring to challenge a strong opponent in the Human Dao Isomophism realm is truly unprecedented.
Even in the future, there may not be any more newcomers!
If it were before, when everyone heard Jiang Yun's words, they would only think Jiang Yun was truly crazy.
However, after Jiang Yun turned the whole forest into his servants, they no longer dared to underestimate him.
This made them more convinced that Jiang Yun must have gained the power of the Nine Clans, giving him the courage and strength!
Except for Lv Lun and Tianluo Lie Ye, others did not understand the true meaning of Jiang Yun's words.
Jiang Yun meant to determine the ultimate winner of this illusion by the outcome between himself and the Taoist Lord.
The Taoist Lord glanced coldly at the forest and nodded, saying, "Good, that's what I was thinking too!"
After speaking, the Taoist Lord looked at Huang Junyan, clearly worried that Huang Junyan might take advantage when he fought against Jiang Yun.
Huang Junyan ignored the Taoist Lord and asked Jiang Yun through telepathy, "Are you confident?"
When Jiang Yun nodded slightly, Huang Junyan took a step back decisively.
This step back clearly meant that he would no longer attack Taoist Lord.
However, for some reason, as Jiang Yun watched Huang Junyan step back, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart.
Huang Junyan's step back seemed to not only mean giving up on tangling with Taoist Lord, but also exiting the big battle and truly becoming an outsider!
At that moment, Taoist Lord burst into laughter, swiftly appearing in front of Jiang Yun.
Jiang Yun shifted his gaze away from Huang Junyan, cleared his mind, and focused entirely on Taoist Lord.
Even though Jiang Yun knew the figure before him was just a clone of Taoist Lord, and tried hard to control his emotions, he couldn't help feeling excited.
This was because he knew better than anyone else the terror of Taoist Lord!
In ancient times, Taoist Lord was formidable, but there were still many who could rival him, like Huang Junyan, Lv Piaomiao, and others.
But in the time Jiang Yun lived, the Taoist Lord and Hall of Deicide had truly become the most powerful beings surpassing all living creatures.
Those who used to stand shoulder to shoulder with him have all been killed by him, and perhaps only his master is still alive!
However, now, as a mere Earth Protection Realm cultivator, he is about to engage in a life-and-death battle with such a powerful being!
Chapter 1022: Out of the Picture
Fighting against Taoist Lord in reality was something Jiang Yun could never imagine.
But in this dreamland, dreams became reality.
Taoist Lord stared at Jiang Yun expressionlessly and asked, "I'm curious, do you really have control over all the powers of the nine silent clans, or just a few of them?"
Jiang Yun didn't answer the question, instead whispered a question that only they could hear, "Why are you marking me with the Nine Clans Tao Seal?"
Taoist Lord smiled slightly and replied, "You will understand once I kill you!"
Jiang Yun smiled back and said, "Since you won't tell me, I'll just kill you, then find your true self. I believe he will tell me!"
"Jiang Yun, I admit you have grown remarkably, but you still overestimate yourself!"
Taoist Lord stopped smiling, shook his head, and said, "Do you think only you possess the power of the nine clans?"
As the Taoist Lord spoke these words, countless dark lines suddenly appeared on his hands - they were Demon Marks!
The appearance of Demon Marks on the Taoist Lord shocked everyone into silence.
Clearly, the Taoist Lord has also gained the power of the nine silent clans.
However, they believed that Mo Xiao offered the power of the demon clan to the Taoist Lord in order to save it from destruction.
When they saw Mo Xiao's shocked expression, they realized that he hadn't given the Demon Marks to the Taoist Lord.
Jiang Yun, who also had Demon Marks, showed no surprise on his face.
As he was the Taoist Lord's incarnation, he came from the same era as himself.
Besides Jiang Yun, another person showed no emotion on their face.
Surprisingly, that person was Huang Junyan!
The chief of the Desolate World tribe calmly glanced at the Demon Mark on the Taoist Lord's body, then closed his eyes, deep in thought.
But it was clear that he seemed to have known this all along.
At the same time, Jiang Yun spoke lightly, "I believe that your reason for creating the Hall of Deicide and destroying the nine silent clans is to gain the power of each clan!"
In fact, this wasn't difficult to guess.
The Taoist Lord, along with a group of strong individuals, destroyed the nine silent clans because these clans possessed higher levels of cultivation or stronger powers.
As a result, cultivators outside of the nine clans, after reaching the Human Dao Isomorphism realm, could no longer progress further.
In reality, the Taoist Lord had successfully wiped out the nine silent clans, so obtaining their powers wasn't unimaginable.
Furthermore, Jiang Yun had the Nine Clans Tao Seal on his back, which was the best proof of this.
"That's right!" The Taoist Lord nodded without hesitation and admitted, "So, if you think that possessing the power of the nine clans will make you stronger than me, then you are mistaken!"
Jiang Yun also nodded and said, "If you really have the power of all nine clans, then I would not dare to fight you. But unfortunately, here, the power of the nine clans you possess is not stronger than mine!"
Upon hearing this, Taoist Lord's eyes suddenly burst with two dazzling rays of light.
Although he didn't know where Jiang Yun's confidence came from, it was clear that this was the true reason why Jiang Yun dared to attack him.
Jiang Yun remained silent, his body once again covered in Vajra Demon Mark, emitting an extremely domineering aura. He directly punched towards Taoist Lord.
Taoist Lord coldly smiled, not avoiding or dodging, raising his fist to meet the attack.
"Bang!"
Their fists collided, producing a deep muffled sound.
While Taoist Lord stood firm, Jiang Yun staggered backwards, finally stopping tens of yards away, blood spraying from his mouth before he could even speak.
Even though Jiang Yun was clearly at a disadvantage in this first clash with Taoist Lord, it was enough to shock the onlookers once again.
Jiang Yun and Taoist Lord both have powers from the demon clan. So when they counter each other, Jiang Yun is still using his strength from the Earth Protection Realm to fight against Taoist Lord from the Human Dao Isomorphism realm.
But this hit only left Jiang Yun slightly injured, which was incredibly unbelievable.
Even a hint of surprise appeared on Taoist Lord's face, he said, "Impossible, how can you be so strong? This is definitely not the power that the Earth Protection Realm can unleash!"
Jiang Yun just coldly smiled, wiped the blood from his mouth, and said, "Strange, you don't seem as strong as the rumors say!"
While saying this, Jiang Yun glanced at Huang Junyan intentionally or unintentionally.
At this moment, Huang Junyan still had his eyes closed, showing no interest in the battle between Jiang Yun and Taoist Lord that could decide the fate of their Desolate World tribe.
To others, Jiang Yun's words may seem like he is underestimating Taoist Lord, but in reality, Jiang Yun was speaking the truth!
The Taoist Lord in front of him seemed to be slightly weaker than the one he encountered in The Land of Fallen Realm, which puzzled Jiang Yun.
If the Taoist Lord truly only had this level of strength, Huang Junyan could easily kill him. So why did Huang Junyan just engage with him without making a move?
Especially now, Huang Junyan has shown a lack of interest in everything, as if he is completely detached.
"Could it be that Huang Junyan has also awakened his senses, or perhaps he is playing a role in The Land of Fallen Realm!"
This seems to be the only explanation for the strange behavior Huang Junyan is showing!
But now, Jiang Yun couldn't spare the time to ponder this issue. Although the Taoist Lord has indeed weakened and he has indeed grown stronger, in comparison, his own strength is still not as great as the Taoist Lord's.
At the same time, Jiang Yun heard Lv Lun's voice in his ear, "Boy, what's going on, how did you become so strong?"
Despite Lv Lun being the spirit of The Tree of Reincarnation and possessing a clear mind, she was also puzzled by why Jiang Yun had become stronger.
Jiang Yun naturally didn't hide anything from Lv Lun's question, just smiled bitterly and said, "Actually, I don't know either, I never even thought I could directly step into the ninth level of Earth Protection Realm!"
"What!"
If Lv Lun didn't trust Jiang Yun so much, she would definitely think he was deliberately deceiving her.
And Jiang Yun quickly added, "I feel like I suddenly have a mysterious power within me, this power allows me to temporarily borrow the power of the Nine Clans, so I need to act fast and challenge the Taoist Lord!"
Upon hearing this, Lv Lun pondered for a moment and then exclaimed, "I understand now, this is the Power of Shelter, the Power of Shelter within you has finally appeared!"
But Lv Lun's words left Jiang Yun stunned.
