My Longevity Simulation

Chapter 924: The True Dao of the Grand Dao Sect

At the same time, inside the Grand Hall of the Grand Dao Sect, Li Qing’s expression changed drastically as he watched the Fruit of Longevity before him fade from solid to illusory, about to disappear entirely.

Instinctively, he reached out to seize it, trying to hold it back.

Over the past ten years, he had relied on the terrifying power of the Scripture of Reversing Order to secretly corrupt the female cultivators of the Grand Dao Sect, turning their cultivation into nourishment for himself.

He even selected exceptionally talented female disciples and trained them in secret.

In the end, among the Grand Path Sect’s seats of elders, women occupied eight out of ten positions.

Within the sect, yin flourished while yang declined. Female disciples, in both number and quality, completely surpassed their male counterparts.

Although the sect’s senior Longevity Immortals eventually noticed that something was amiss, the momentum of Li Qing’s faction had already become too great.

If they truly tried to eradicate Li Qing’s lineage, the Grand Dao Sect would suffer far more than internal injury.

It might well perish in civil strife.

From the standpoint of the greater whole, after several rounds of negotiation, both sides finally reached a compromise.

Li Qing’s past misconduct would be forgiven and not further pursued. Going forward, he would no longer be excessively interfered with. However, he had to ensure that the ratio of male cultivators within the sect remained stable and that newly admitted female disciples retained their purity.

As part of the agreement, a portion of the Fruit of Longevity would be allocated to Li Qing’s faction.

The Fruit of Longevity was born upon the Ruo Tree.

It was jointly managed by the Ten Great Immortal Sects, and a single fruit could grant one eternal longevity.

Today was the day Li Qing was finally to receive his share—the moment he had schemed toward for ten long years.

Yet, right at this crucial instant, the fruit disappeared before his very eyes.

How could Li Qing, who had exhausted all his efforts and plotted for a decade, possibly accept this?

“No!”

Unable to maintain his composure, Li Qing let out a furious roar.

“What are you all waiting for? Help me!”

No matter how he raged, he could not stop the Fruit of Longevity from vanishing.

He turned instinctively toward his companions in the hall.

But that single glance made Li Qing’s heart tremble.

Inside the Grand Hall, more than ten female cultivators—including his master, Huo Jingtong—all stood there, gazing at him in unison.

And yet…

Their eyes were utterly different from before. Gone was the affectionate tenderness he was used to. What replaced it was something utterly alien, strange, and chilling.

It was as if, in that instant, their souls had all been replaced.

As the entire Grand Dao Sect trembled more and more violently, Li Qing could feel the gaze of every cultivator within the sect converging upon him.

“This…”

Even Li Qing, who had always been brazen and fearless, could not help swallowing hard as he took a step back.

The hall was utterly silent.

Without warning, a figure appeared quietly before him.

It was Zhao Ruoxi—his senior sister, who had been in seclusion for ten years and had not been seen since.

Looking at the woman before him, so familiar yet so unfamiliar, Li Qing’s heart was filled with confusion and unease.

At this moment, he was already at the peak of Dao Integration, just a step away from the Longevity Realm.

Yet in front of this former Senior Sister Zhao, his spiritual intuition screamed in alarm.

“What is happening?”

A wave of dizziness struck him, as though he had forgotten something vital.

Memories of the past ten years flashed rapidly through his mind, then receded like a tide, becoming vague and indistinct—like a fading dream.

“Very good.”

Senior Sister Zhao looked at Li Qing, her first words an expression of approval.

“I originally intended only to give you a small punishment for your earlier insolence.”

“Yet I did not expect that, under such circumstances, you could reach this level in merely ten years.”

“Of all those who have entered my path over the years, you are the first.”

“An intriguing experience indeed.”

Senior Sister Zhao’s face showed no emotion as she spoke calmly.

At that moment, Li Qing suddenly realized that every other female cultivator in the great hall wore the exact same expression as Senior Sister Zhao.

“Uh…”

A sudden, splitting pain pierced Li Qing’s skull. He clutched his head instinctively.

The surroundings of the Grand Dao Sect began to waver more violently, until at last the illusion completely collapsed, shattering inch by inch.

Amid the breaking lights and shadows, Li Qing saw that everyone’s faces had turned into Senior Sister Zhao’s face.

Boom.

The world went completely dark.

When Li Qing regained consciousness, the memories that had been sealed for so long finally surged back into his mind.

“Senior Sister Zhao’s illusion art truly is formidable…”

“Even with full awareness, I still fell into it and could not pull myself free.”

Li Qing frowned slightly and extended his divine sense downward to check his body.

“Fortunately, it was only a dream.”

Thinking of the countless intoxicating scenes during those ten illusory years, and then remembering that all those women were merely incarnations of the One-Heart Heavenly Sovereign, Li Qing could not help but feel momentarily dazed.

But his will was strong. He quickly regained his composure and focused his thoughts on that astonishing scripture, the Reversing Order Scripture.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to recall, every detail of the technique remained like a reflection in water or flowers in a mirror, impossible to grasp.

Regret filled Li Qing’s heart.

“Such divine power, yet I cannot bring it out. I wonder if this technique truly exists in reality, or if it was merely something the One-Heart Heavenly Sovereign fabricated within the illusion.”

Countless thoughts churned in his mind before he finally calmed himself.

Looking around, the scenery was strikingly familiar.

It was identical to the Grand Dao Sect of the illusion.

He was now standing at the entrance of the sect.

Gazing at the stone path that led up the mountain, Li Qing hesitated, unable to take the first step.

“What’s wrong? Weren’t you bold a moment ago? Why so timid now?”

A mocking voice came from further up the path.

Following the sound, Li Qing saw a young male cultivator holding a broom, dressed in the outer-sect robes of the Grand Dao Sect.

The man leaned on his broom, looking down at Li Qing from above.

Li Qing knew this was yet another of the countless bodies of the One-Heart Heavenly Sovereign, so he did not dare to be disrespectful.

He cupped his hands and bowed politely, then began walking up the stone steps.

“You know the way. Go up yourself. I’ve got cleaning to do, so I won’t be keeping you company,” said the young outer-sect disciple casually as he walked down the stairs, brushing past Li Qing without looking up.

At the same time, he began carefully sweeping the very steps Li Qing had just walked upon.

“Even though they are all the same person, each body still seems to retain its own original or assigned identity…”

“What would you call that… role-playing?”

Li Qing narrowed his eyes slightly and continued walking deeper into the Grand Dao Sect.

Unlike the eerie stillness at the end of the illusion, when everyone had turned into Senior Sister Zhao, this Grand Dao Sect was full of vitality.

Along the way, Li Qing encountered many cultivators.

They glanced at him briefly, then returned to their own affairs.

They chatted, argued, and sparred.

Li Qing even saw several pairs of Dao companions whispering intimately to each other.

The scene was lively and bustling, as if the Grand Dao Sect of old had never been destroyed.

Yet the more lifelike it seemed, the more vigilant Li Qing became toward the One-Heart Heavenly Sovereign.

“It seems that after several thousand years, Senior Sister Zhao has indeed made progress.”